HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: throopw@sheol.UUCP (Wayne Throop)
Newsgroups: comp.programming
Subject: Re: What is Language Lawyering?
Date: 05 Nov 92 01:29:43 GMT

: From: lam@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com (Josh Lam)
: Message-ID: <1992Nov3.175103.2052@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com>
: What is 'language lawyering'?  I have seen this phase used quite a few
: times in more language specific news groups, usually used as an accusation.
: So I suppose it is not good.
: My guess is that it refers to arguing over petty features or usage of a
: programming language that is often is of no value.

Here's what the "New Hacker's Dictionary", scion of the Jargon File line,
has to say about "language lawyer":

   language lawyer: n. A person, usually an experienced or senior
      software engineer, who is intimately familiar with many or most of
      the numerous restrictions and features (both useful and esoteric)
      applicable to one or more computer programming languages.  A
      language lawyer is distinguished by the ability to show you the
      five sentences scattered throughout a 200-plus page manual which
      together imply the answer to your question "if only you had
      thought to look there".  Compare {wizard}, {legal}, {legalese}.

So, its use in the broader sense is not always pejorative (according to
the NHD).  Language lawyers, like all interpreters of arcane lore,
ranging from insurance agents to sports trivia buffs, come in two
varieties.  The ones who look it up in the book and show you where the
rules say you can't have what you want, and the ones who look it up in
the book and show you where the rules say how to get what you need.

( I think the above is a cross between a Rolling Stone lyric and a
  Heinlein story about bureaucrats.  The Heinlein original was more
  like "can't have what you ask despite it's being owed to you", vs
  "get what you need despite your not deserving it". )
--
Wayne Throop  ...!mcnc!dg-rtp!sheol!throopw
Newsgroups: comp.programming
From: sakkinen@jyu.fi (Markku Sakkinen)
Subject: Re: NH. [Re: What is Language Lawyering?]
Organization: University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 09:38:13 GMT

In article <OZ.92Nov5103939@ursa.sis.yorku.ca> oz@ursa.sis.yorku.ca (Ozan Yigit) writes:
>Please take this topic to comp.lang.misc. It has no relevance
>to this newsgroup.

On the contrary:  the definition of Brooks that has been presented here
(and which at least I had not remembered at all) is highly relevant
to this newsgroup.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Markku Sakkinen (sakkinen@jytko.jyu.fi)
       SAKKINEN@FINJYU.bitnet (alternative network address)
Department of Computer Science and Information Systems
University of Jyvaskyla (a's with umlauts)
PL 35
SF-40351 Jyvaskyla (umlauts again)
Finland
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: jfw@ksr.com (John F. Woods)
Newsgroups: comp.programming
Subject: Re: What is Language Lawyering?
Date: 6 Nov 92 14:07:14 EST

sakkinen@jyu.fi (Markku Sakkinen) writes:
>In article <1992Nov3.175103.2052@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com> lam@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com (Josh Lam) writes:
>>Please pardon my ignorance!
>>What is 'language lawyering'?  I have seen this phase used quite a few
>>times in more language specific news groups, usually used as an accusation.
>>So I suppose it is not good.
>>My guess is that it refers to arguing over petty features or usage of a
>>programming language that is often is of no value.
>Also used by designers and supporters of programming languages
>when other people interpret a language definition as it is written
>instead of what was "actually meant", or when inconsistencies and
>flaws are pointed out.  (I.e., 'petty' is very subjective and relative.)

A third meaning tends to crop up in the C newsgroups, when it is the supporters
of the language who try to interpret the language definition as it is written
when arguing with people who "know" that (e.g.) the Standard "means" that
null pointers contain all zero bits, or that the value of "i = i++" is "i";
those making those claims are apparently uncomfortable with the Standard's
laying out of "rigidly defined areas of uncertainty and doubt".
Organisation: ECP-Paris France
Date: Wednesday, 11 Nov 1992 17:15:24 EDT
From: Laurent Bonnaud <BONNAUD@FRECP12.BITNET>
Newsgroups: comp.programming
Subject: Re: Probabilistic Prime Numbers

Hi,
you could look at the ECPP package from ftp.inria.fr. It does exactly
what you are looking for and includes a package to manipulate big numbers.
You could also read the author's thesis about elliptic curves.

  Hope this helps. Laurent Bonnaud. BONNAUD AT FRECP12.BITNET

PS : My mailer was unable to deliver you a mail. I have to post this instead.
From: avg@rodan.UU.NET (Vadim Antonov)
Newsgroups: comp.programming
Subject: Re: Finding a zero byte in a 32-bit word
Date: 6 Nov 1992 13:42:34 -0500
Organization: Berkeley Software Design
NNTP-Posting-Host: rodan.uu.net

In article <schnitzi.720908839@eola.cs.ucf.edu> schnitzi@cs.ucf.edu (Mark Schnitzius) writes:
>
>A follow-up question:  There are algorithms which are _proprietary_??!

You betcha. There is a number of patented algorithms including
using XOR for drawing cursor on a bitmapped screen, using backing
store for saving obscured parts of windows, LZW data compression
(the thing which is used in compress), RSA public-key encryption,
elliptical method for solving linear programming problems, the
"natural" order of recalculation in spreadsheets and others.
No wonder if someday someone will patent left shift.

Contact League for Programming Freedom for details.

--vadim
Newsgroups: comp.programming
From: crawford@boole.mitre.org (Randy Crawford)
Subject: Re: Generations of Programming Languages
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 03:34:07 GMT

In article <BxHJDK.I7C@news.cso.uiuc.edu> hmiller@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu (Harry Miller) writes:
>The evelolution of programming languages is broken down into generations.
>What is the latest generation and what does it correspond to?  Well, while
>I'm at it what programming languages do the generations refer to?

Quasi-official PL generation summary:

1) Machine language
2) Assembly
3) Pascal, FORTRAN, C, Algol, BASIC, Lisp, etc.
4) Higher level business-oriented PLs like Natural and Oracle

Object-oriented languages I suppose would fall between the 3rd and 4th 
generations, and visual PLs somewhere after OOPLs, but the generational
system doesn't handle either of them very well.

Perhaps a better sequence would have omitted the current 4GLs, placing
OOPLs in their stead.  After OOPLs might be the more sophisticated PL models
(as yet only conceptual) which allow for formal specification languages 
(like VDM and Z) to be translated directly into executables.  Where visual 
PLs belong is beyond me.

Or maybe the generational system really only makes sense when applied
chronologically.  In that case, we'll have to wait and see what follows
OOPLs.

-- 

| Randy Crawford        crawford@mitre.org        The MITRE Corporation
|                                                 7525 Colshire Dr., MS Z421
| N=1 -> P=NP           703 883-7940              McLean, VA  22102
Newsgroups: comp.programming
From: mhall@colossus.comp.programming (Matthew Hall)
Subject: Power spectrum analysis help wanted.
Organization: Oberlin College Computer Science
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 15:27:25 GMT
Distribution: comp.programming
X-Posted-From: colossus.cs.oberlin.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

Hello-
	I want to find power spectra for small (fixed at 512 or 256 points)
waveforms.  I only want 16 or 32 different frequency gradations.  My
problem is, I have no idea how to do this.
	I do have the FFT algorithm from Numeric Recipies, however I
can't seem to get it to work very well, and it's slow.
	The reason for wanting this is that I am trying to build a
speech recognition system (very small, discrete, speaker dependant)
for a Macintosh.  I need a very quick way to determine spectra - using
integer arithmetic if possible (The data points are merely signed
bytes).  I have seen some products (soundtracker, Sound edit) perform
(if not real time) very quick spectral analysis so I know it's
possible.  
	Any pointers, or source code (I'm fluent in pascal, but I can
read C pretty well.) that you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
-matt hall
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt Hall.    mhall@occs.oberlin.edu  OR  SMH9666@OBERLIN.BITNET
              (216)-775-6613 (That's a Cleveland Area code. Lucky Me)

                         F(X)=M*X*(1-X)  

Newsgroups: comp.programming,sci.physics,sci.math
From: mark@hubcap.clemson.edu (Mark Smotherman)
Subject: area in closed curve; similar to net work calculation
Organization: Clemson University
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 13:26:26 GMT


I want to get a reference to the first use/publication of an algorithm
to find the area within a discretized closed curve.  While CAM is the
application for which I came up with the algorithm, I later found the
same type of problem as a net work calculation for a heat engine in
a freshman physics text (figure 19-8, Sears and Zemansky, University
Physics, 4th ed., 1970, p. 271).  So I expect this algorithm has been
around for quite a while.

Given a closed curve completely described by unit movements LRUD (left,
right, up, and down), calculate the enclosed area.  The description
may be clockwise or counterclockwise and of arbitrary shape.


area = 0;
counter = ARBITRARY_VALUE;  /* makes more sense visually if it is large */
                            /* enough so that counter never goes negative */
while( moves_are_left() ){
    move = next_move();
    switch(move){
        case L:
            area = area - counter;
            break;
        case R:
            area = area + counter;
            break;
        case U:
            counter = counter + 1;
            break;
        case D:
            counter = counter - 1;
            break;
    }
    area = abs(area);


Please email me directly.  I don't regularly read some of the cross-posted
groups.  Thanks.
-- 
Mark Smotherman, CS Dept., Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-1906
  (803) 656-5878,  mark@cs.clemson.edu  or  mark@hubcap.clemson.edu
Newsgroups: comp.programming
From: johnm@cory.Berkeley.EDU (John D. Mitchell)
Subject: Re: first-year programming languages
Organization: University of California, at Berkeley
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 20:41:12 GMT

In article <1992Nov10.225033.2239@gacvx2.gac.edu> emiddlec@mora.gac.edu (Eric Middlecamp) writes:
[...]
>They used to use pascal here at Gustavus Adolphus College about 2 years
>ago for first year classes, but now we use Scheme (a variation of LISP.)
>Later on we use C, etc.. 

UC Berkeley uses Scheme for it's introductory class and then moves on to C
(I believe that at least one professor is using C++ in his undergrad OS
class).

John


Newsgroups: comp.programming
From: mjs@hubcap.clemson.edu (M. J. Saltzman)
Subject: Re: Finding a zero byte in a 32-bit word
Organization: Clemson University, Clemson SC
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 20:39:05 GMT

In article <1deeaqINNhd8@rodan.UU.NET> avg@rodan.UU.NET (Vadim Antonov) writes:
>In article <schnitzi.720908839@eola.cs.ucf.edu> schnitzi@cs.ucf.edu (Mark Schnitzius) writes:
>>
>>A follow-up question:  There are algorithms which are _proprietary_??!
>
>You betcha. There is a number of patented algorithms including
>using XOR for drawing cursor on a bitmapped screen, using backing
>store for saving obscured parts of windows, LZW data compression
>(the thing which is used in compress), RSA public-key encryption,
>elliptical method for solving linear programming problems, the
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You meant to say "ellipsoid method", but in fact it's an implementation
of Karmarkar's interior point algorithm that AT&T claims a patent for.

>"natural" order of recalculation in spreadsheets and others.
>No wonder if someday someone will patent left shift.
>
>Contact League for Programming Freedom for details.

See also recent issues of Communications of the ACM, and Issues in 
Science and Technology (and probably others as well).

>
>--vadim


-- 
		Matthew Saltzman
		Clemson University Math Sciences
		mjs@clemson.edu
Newsgroups: comp.programming,comp.lang.misc,comp.edu
From: dbarker@spang.Camosun.BC.CA (Deryk Barker)
Subject: Re: first-year programming languages
Organization: Camosun College, Victoria B.C, Canada
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 17:04:42 GMT

In article <1992Nov10.025941.9166@linus.mitre.org> crawford@boole.mitre.org (Randy Crawford) writes:
>In article <1992Nov9.152324.2715@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu> kem@csri.toronto.edu (Kem Luther) writes:
>>
>>I work for a college  which is reviewing its first-year programming
>>environment for students who will become computer science majors.
>>The question came up:  what computer languages are used in the
>>first year programming courses in other colleges?  Anyone have  
>>some figures on this?

We at Camosun College us Modula-2. UVic uses Pascal. I know of
universities in the UK which SML or similar functional language.

Deryk Barker, Computer Science Dept., Camosun College, Victoria B.C.
From: poynor@david.wheaton.edu (George V. Poynor)
Newsgroups: comp.programming
Subject: Re: What is Language Lawyering?
Date: 7 Nov 92 01:39:37 GMT
Organization: Wheaton College, IL

In article <1992Nov4.085231.15582@jyu.fi> sakkinen@jyu.fi (Markku Sakkinen) writes:
>In article <1992Nov3.175103.2052@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com> lam@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com (Josh Lam) writes:
>>Please pardon my ignorance!
>>
>>What is 'language lawyering'?  I have seen this phase used quite a few
>>times in more language specific news groups, usually used as an accusation.
>>So I suppose it is not good.
>>
>>My guess is that it refers to arguing over petty features or usage of a
>>programming language that is often is of no value.
>> ...
>
>Also used by designers and supporters of programming languages
>when other people interpret a language definition as it is written
>instead of what was "actually meant", or when inconsistencies and
>flaws are pointed out.  (I.e., 'petty' is very subjective and relative.)
>
>Regards,
>Markku
>recent PhD in language lawyering :-)
>
	I've seen it used in the context of programmer teams, to
	describe the member who knew all of the arcana of the
	language.
	--
	geo...
-- 
George V. Poynor
--
poynor@david.wheaton.edu
Newsgroups: comp.programming
From: jones@ils.nwu.edu
Subject: New Ph.D. Program
Organization: institute for the learning sciences
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 20:06:42 GMT

T h e   L  E  A  R  N  I  N  G    S  C  I  E  N  C  E  S    P h. D.   P r o g r
a m


Preparing individuals for productive work and a   high quality of life in
today's society is a complex  challenge for schools and corporations. To meet
this challenge, Northwestern University has established a unique Ph.D. program
in the Learning Sciences. Its purpose is to advance the research and
development of innovative educational structures and technologies.

Research in the Learning Sciences is aimed at creating environments that offer
all students a rich variety of opportunities for learning to think effectively,
both within and outside of formal learning settings. Graduate student and
faculty research efforts are supported by a multimedia, networked computing 
infrastructure and an unusual commitment to developing technologies that
function effectively within their intended settings. 

The Learning Sciences is a synthesis of computational and social science
disciplines including artificial intelligence, cognitive and developmental
psychology, educational research, linguistics, computer science, anthropology
and fields that develop strategies for teaching complex subject matter. 

Through research, field work and apprenticeships, the Ph.D. program will
prepare its graduates to assume leadership roles in advancing the scientific
understanding and systematic practices of learning and teaching.

Students are eligible for competitively-awarded multi-year funding. To qualify
for financial aid, candidates should apply by January 15, 1992. Applications
received after that date may be  considered. Individuals with relevant teaching
experience or a strong academic  background in a field related to the Learning
Sciences are encouraged to apply. For  application materials or for further
information, contact:

Professor Roy Pea
Ph.D. Program Chair 
The Learning Sciences 
Northwestern University
1890 Maple Avenue
Evanston, IL  60201
phone: 708-491-8152
fax:    708-491-5258
email: jones@ils.nwu.edu
 
Newsgroups: comp.programming
From: AMOUTR01@ysub.ysu.edu
Subject: Hungarian Method
Organization: Youngstown State University
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 05:15:48 GMT

Please email me if anyone is aware of a site that contains source code (C prefe
red)
that solves the hungarian method problem.
 
Thanks,
 
Mark Adams
amoutr01@ysub.ysu.edu
From: guyh@hpubvwa.nsr.hp.com (Guy Hyde)
Newsgroups: comp.programming
Subject: Re: SPREADSHEETS under Unix and X
Date: 12 Nov 92 16:34:13 GMT
Article-I.D.: hpubvwa.173150001
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Bellevue Sales

I have been playing with WINGZ from INFORMIX.

Seems to be fairly robust, with good graphics.

Definitely runs under UNIX and X. Not sure
about Openlook.
Newsgroups: comp.programming
From: rns@munta.cs.mu.OZ.AU (Robert Noel STURROCK)
Subject: Re: first-year programming languages
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 05:14:16 GMT

kem@csri.toronto.edu (Kem Luther) writes:

>Not sure where to ask this.  If you answer, use email so we won't
>clutter this newsgroup with unwanted banter.

>I work for a college  which is reviewing its first-year programming
>environment for students who will become computer science majors.
>The question came up:  what computer languages are used in the
>first year programming courses in other colleges?  Anyone have  
>some figures on this?

This Univeristy is switching to a functional language for its first
year course next year.  The language is "Miranda", a lazy, purely
functional language.



Rob
Newsgroups: comp.programming
From: fpf@lyra.gasco.com (Frank Ferguson x3584)
Newsgroups: comp.programming
Subject: Better Basic BCD Math Module
Date: 13 Nov 92 01:07:12 GMT
Article-I.D.: gasco.1992Nov13.010712.23291
Distribution: na
Organization: NorthWest Natural Gas Company of Portland Oregon





Hi.
I'm using a product called "Better Basic" by Summit Software 
Technology---now, sadly, out of business.  This package has the
charm of a virtual memory module which allows the declaration of, for
example, arrays of almost limitless size in memory (or other accessable
mass storage device).   I'm looking for a the BCDMATH module which was
available as an option for this program.  (that's binary coded decimal
math module).  If you have such, perhaps you could contact me at my
email address.

Thanks Much
Francis Ferguson
fpf@gasco.com
Newsgroups: comp.programming
From: wingo@apple.com (Tony Wingo)
Subject: Re: first-year programming languages
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 01:18:05 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Apple Computer
Followup-To: comp.programming

In article <1992Nov9.152324.2715@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>,
kem@csri.toronto.edu (Kem Luther) wrote:
> 
> Not sure where to ask this.  If you answer, use email so we won't
> clutter this newsgroup with unwanted banter.
> 
> I work for a college  which is reviewing its first-year programming
> environment for students who will become computer science majors.
> The question came up:  what computer languages are used in the
> first year programming courses in other colleges?  Anyone have  
> some figures on this?
> 

I had a friend who teaches at a university back east, and I know that for a
while they were starting their CS students off with SNOBOL4 and LISP "To
shock the BASIC out of them" :-).

-tony

>>ususal disclaimer<<
Newsgroups: comp.programming
Subject: Re: first-year programming languages
From: emiddlec@mora.gac.edu (Eric Middlecamp)
Date: 10 Nov 92 22:50:32 -0600
Distribution: na

In article <1992Nov9.152324.2715@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>  writes:
>Not sure where to ask this.  If you answer, use email so we won't
>clutter this newsgroup with unwanted banter.
>
>I work for a college  which is reviewing its first-year programming
>environment for students who will become computer science majors.
>The question came up:  what computer languages are used in the
>first year programming courses in other colleges?  Anyone have  
>some figures on this?

They used to use pascal here at Gustavus Adolphus College about 2 years ago for first year classes,  
but now we use Scheme (a variation of LISP.) Later on we use C, etc..
Newsgroups: comp.programming,comp.edu
From: mroussel@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Marc Roussel)
Subject: Re: first-year programming languages
Followup-To: comp.edu
Organization: Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 03:50:44 GMT

In article <1623@airgun.wg.waii.com> brett@bambi.wg.waii.com (Marc Brett)
writes:
>In Queens University, Kingston (Ontario), they used a home-grown
>language NIAL for their introductory class in computers.  This was
>around 1984.  (Where is it now...???)

     Last I heard (one or two years ago), Queen's had switched to
Turing.

>it was unfair to the students to
>have to learn a language they would never see again.

     If learning a language was the point of the course, that course was
poorly designed.  Besides, computer languages are usually fairly easy to
learn as long as the paradigm is clear.

				Marc R. Roussel
                                mroussel@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca

P.S.:  I have redirected followups to comp.edu since I don't see what
       this has to do with programming.
From: yuri@amath.washington.edu (Yuri Yulaev)
Newsgroups: comp.programming
Subject: Font creation software
Keywords: printer fonts and drivers
Date: 12 Nov 92 02:25:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Nov12.022530.24077
Organization: University of Washington, Applied Mathematics, Seattle


	Hello,
does anybody hear about asm/c/c++ shareware programs to create/update
fonts for printers? i am interseted in plain old FX-80, Panas KX-1524
and HP lazer writer. I'd appreciate any help. 
Yuri.














 
Newsgroups: comp.programming