MathGroup Archive 2005

[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]

Search the Archive

Re: Re: Types in Mathematica


On 20 Nov 2005, at 18:50, Steven T. Hatton wrote:

> It is generally acknowledged in the computer science field that a  
> person
> with experience in several programming languages is typically a better
> programmer than a person who has an equivalent number of hours of
> experience in one programming language. I mean to say both  
> programmers have
> the same total number of hours spent programming.

This seems to me so obviously wrong in the case of Mathematica that I  
am surprised it can even be a subject of an argument. Skillful  
programming in Mathematica (after one has acquired basic Mathematica  
literacy) depends above all else on an intimate knowledge of built-in  
functions: their options, their performance in different situations  
and similar things. The number of such functions is enormous, the  
number of options several times larger. As most people start  
forgetting such things  if they stop using them for just a few weeks,  
it seems to me obvious that in the case of two individuals of roughly  
equivalent intellectual capacity one of whom devotes himself entirely  
to Mathematica while the other studies various languages for an  
equivalent length of time any kind of Mathematica programming contest  
would turn out to be a no contest.

Andrzej Kozlowski


  • Prev by Date: Re: Re: Hardcopy or electronic books?
  • Next by Date: Re: Programmatic Search and Replace
  • Previous by thread: Re: Types in Mathematica
  • Next by thread: Re: Re: Re: Types in Mathematica