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From: sakkinen@jyu.fi (Markku Sakkinen)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.modula2
Subject: Re: Why no ** operator in Modula2?
Message-ID: <1991May28.114012.5790@jyu.fi>
Date: 28 May 91 11:40:12 GMT
References: <1KBRSVP@math.fu-berlin.de>
Reply-To: sakkinen@jytko.jyu.fi (Markku Sakkinen)
Organization: University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
Lines: 29

In article <1KBRSVP@math.fu-berlin.de> dww@math.fu-berlin.de (Debora Weber-Wulff) writes:
>The question came up in class today: Why is there no ** or ^
>(x to the nth power) operator in standard Modula2? 
>To make you start your own private module collection of goodies?
>Because it is machine dependant???
>
>We checked the 3 books we use in class and found no mention of
>why this is missing. 

Simple:  When designing Pascal, Wirth considered the exponentiation
operator not to be utile enough to justify its cost in the language.
I think the rationale can be read in his old books or articles (early 70's).
Someone else (more arithmetically minded) would probably have done
the opposite decision, and omitted some triviality like 'odd' instead.

Modula2 has been designed with somewhat minimalistic tendencies
(although comparing to Oberon, maybe even "somewhat minimalistic"
is an overstatement).  Therefore, any new feature certainly needed
very strong reasons for addition.  As regards arithmetic features,
Modula2 has long reals (and long integers), for whose lack Pascal
had been sharply criticised.

Markku Sakkinen
Department of Computer Science and Information Systems
University of Jyvaskyla (a's with umlauts)
PL 35
SF-40351 Jyvaskyla (umlauts again)
Finland
          SAKKINEN@FINJYU.bitnet (alternative network address)