Re: Re: c code generation
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg4448] Re: [mg4362] Re: c code generation
- From: ross at mpce.mq.edu.au (Ross Moore)
- Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 04:30:51 -0400
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
Mark Evans wrote:
>The whole point of using a tool like Mathematica is to avoid writing C
>code.
Absolutely wrong!
You always endeavour to use the best tool,
or the most convenient set of tools, for the job at hand.
If you have a good fast C program,
then that should be able to be used ``in conjunction with'' Mathematica.
Indeed Mathematica provides ways to do this.
Thus Mathematica can provide a nice `Front End' to the C code,
displaying the result `as if' Mathematica had done it itself.
This is especially convenient for creating complicated graphics
which require much computing to decide what to plot,
or what colour to set for a each pixel, say.
Many examples can be found in various books, and elsewhere.
> .... If you must do that, I recommend a standard reference like
>Numerical Recipies in C. In any event, Mathematica does not generate C
>code for you.
Nobody asks it to.
( Though doubtless it is flexible enough to do so,
if you really wanted to devise a program to do this. )
Mathematica lets you ignore much of the visual/interface aspects
of the code that you will find in this reference,
allowing your C code to concentrate on the numerics (almost) exclusively.
>What you can do -- and what is very helpful -- is to check your own C
>code against Mathematica output to verify its correctness.
Sure.
But why the competitive connotations to this comment?
If I already have good C code, why rewrite it in Mathematica,
when all I need do is `link to it', from Mathematica.
Regards,
Ross Moore
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