Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc,soc.folklore.computers
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!atekant
From: atekant@wimsey.bc.ca (Argun Tekant)
Subject: Re: About the variable 'I' (was Re: long names (was Readability of Ada))
Organization: Wimsey Associates
Date: Mon, 06 May 1991 20:58:31 GMT
Message-ID: <1991May06.205831.7025@wimsey.bc.ca>
References: <12394@dog.ee.lbl.gov> <1991Apr26.034205.27308@netcom.COM> <1590@acf5.NYU.EDU>

>mrs@netcom.COM (Morgan Schweers) writes:
>
>    Then when I finally took FORTRAN, I discovered a possible reason.  I've
>never seen it documented anywhere, so I was wondering if my conjecture was
>right.  Any opinions?  (*IF* you are lucky enough not to have programmed
>in FORTRAN at any time, it's loops were only allowed to be done with
>INTEGER variables, and it's INTEGERS were hardcoded.  I believe 'I' was
>the first integer, tho I don't remember too well after some 6+ years...

But there was a good reason for FORTRAN to use I & onwards for interegers
which has nothing to do with mathematics.
The first computer FORTRAN was implemented on (the name misses me)
had 16 registers. The first 8 (registers A to H) were real number
registers the rest (starting from register I) were integer registers.
You could only have as many variables as your registers, and those were
named A,B,C,..... .

Hence the reason why I is an integer. And you can finish the story.


QED.

Argun.