Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!charon!dik
From: dik@cwi.nl (Dik T. Winter)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran
Subject: Re: Fortran vs. C for numerical work (SUMMARY)
Message-ID: <2643@charon.cwi.nl>
Date: 5 Dec 90 01:43:26 GMT
References: <7339@lanl.gov> <184a59d8.ARN0ebd@pilhuhn.uucp> <14651@smoke.brl.mil>
Sender: news@cwi.nl
Organization: CWI, Amsterdam
Lines: 17

In article <14651@smoke.brl.mil> gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn) writes:
 > Anyway, discussions about code optimization should have little to do
 > with selection of a programming language.

In a way: yes.  But the speed of the resulting code may be important.  You
mentioned the aliasing problem that prevents vectorization of code.  That *is*
an important aspect, because it can have a tremendous impact on the speed of
the algorithm (like 2 orders of magnitude).  Consider what the weather
forecasting bureau in Reading (UK) would have if they had programmed their
Cray using pointers in C?  They would barely be able with their current
model to have the forecast of the weather for yesterday tomorrow.  (Some
might argue that that would not be worse than it is now.)  Their job is
largely numerical, for a large part research (to get the correct model),
and their job is properly done in Fortran.
--
dik t. winter, cwi, amsterdam, nederland
dik@cwi.nl


Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com