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Re: Re: Re: Types in Mathematica

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg62277] Re: [mg62273] Re: [mg62258] Re: [mg62245] Types in Mathematica
• From: "Virgilio, Vincent - SSD" <Vincent.Virgilio at itt.com>
• Date: Sat, 19 Nov 2005 05:53:58 -0500 (EST)
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Well now it's getting philosophical.  I did say "in trying to
understand", not "in trying to use".

Anyway, it is always helpful to revisit first principles, novice or not.
And since nothing is understood in a vacuum, so the suggested
comparisons.

Vince Virgilio

-----Original Message-----
From: Andrzej Kozlowski [mailto:akoz at mimuw.edu.pl]
To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
Subject: [mg62277] [mg62273] Re: [mg62258] Re: [mg62245] Types in Mathematica


On 18 Nov 2005, at 07:03, Virgilio, Vincent - SSD wrote:

> I don't think we should forget C++ in trying to understand
> Mathematica's language.  I *bet* many illuminating comparisons can be
> made between the pattern matching and expression evaluation mechanisms

> of Mathematica, and the template-programming mechanisms of C++
> (particularly those in development, found at the above C++
> working-group website).


No doubt it is true that "many illuminating comparisons can be made". 
No doubt also many illuminating comparisons can be (and have been) 
made between the English and the Japanese languages. However, this 
does not change the fact that when you try to speak Japanese thinking 
in English or even worse, translating between English and Japanese 
is, except for a novice, more of a hindrance than help. The 
relationship between Mathematica and C++ or Mathematica and LISP is 
similar.

Andrzej Kozlowski

Tokyo, Japan


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  • Re: Re: Re: Re: Types in Mathematica
    • From: Andrzej Kozlowski <akoz@mimuw.edu.pl>