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Re: Mathematica frustrations...


  • To: mathgroup@smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg11730] Re: Mathematica frustrations...
  • From: Selwyn Hollis <shollis@peachnet.campus.mci.net>
  • Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1998 03:08:58 -0500
  • References: <6cgf9k$sd7@smc.vnet.net> <6d0ah6$2jt@smc.vnet.net> <6esgci$5mf@smc.vnet.net> <199803222313.QAA12069@mars.Colorado.EDU>

> <snip>
> >The use of % and In[]/Out[] references is sometimes convenient but is
> >very bad programming practice in general. IMHO, students should be
> >strongly discouraged from using them at all. Naming results leads to
> >much more efficient and coherent work.
> >
> >I'm not sure what you mean when you say ``% saves one the aggravation of
> >re-evaluating a cell." It's the other way around. % _causes_ the
> >aggravation of having to re-evaluate cells.
> >
>
> Plus the rules (?) of % are fuzzy.  For example,
>
>    s=Solve[x^2==4,x]; xx=x/.s;
>
> is unambiguous, but
>
>    Solve[x^2==4,x];  xx=x/.%;
>
> does not produce the expected result. Since % is (i) fuzzy,
> (ii) raises the potential for bugs, and (iii) takes up a special
> symbol, my vote is for permanent elimination.   Good riddance.

 I don't think ``fuzzy" is the right word for it, Carlos. Whatever...

But speaking of wasting a good special symbol, if Wolfram hadn't decided
to use the dollar sign $ to begin global/internal symbols, we could all
be typing expressions into Mathematica the same way we type them in
TeX/LaTeX!  ... maybe.  :-/

How about this for Version 4.0:   globals/internals begin with % instead
of $, and $ replaces cntrl-( and cntrl-) for beginning and ending "math
mode" (as in TeX). What the hell, why not just use TeX syntax? I doubt
that Professor Knuth would mind. And it would sure make a lot of
Mathematica users' lives a lot simpler!

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Selwyn Hollis
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Savannah, GA 31419 USA
<http://www.math.armstrong.edu/faculty/hollis/>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




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