Newsgroups: sci.lang
From: Andre@shappski.demon.co.uk (Andre Shapps)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!udel!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!peernews.demon.co.uk!shappski.demon.co.uk!Andre
Subject: Re: Esperanto? I thought this is sci.lang
References: <Ibelgaufts-010395080823@ganymed.lmb.uni-muenchen.de> <3j4a34$bnb@nz12.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>
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Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 23:11:26 +0000
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In article: <3j4a34$bnb@nz12.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>  s_salomo@iraul1.ira.uka.de 
(Thierry Salomon) writes:
> 	Esperanto always makes me think of FORTRAN.
> The computer scientists always claim how bad this language is but
> never actually have a close look at it. They say it not a language
> and only good for physics fans. 

Can't let that go - I've worked in FORTRAN in it's various guises. This is not 
something to go into in this newsgroup in too much detail and full marks to the 
creaters of FORTRAN for coming up with one of the first high level languages, but 
believe me, by the standards of programming of even 10 or 15 years ago it's a very 
insecure language. It's lack of typing and (at the time, anyway) the fact that 
variables could be implicitly declared has been blamed for a probe overshooting 
Jupiter (I think). Someone missed out a space between two words and FORTRAN just 
decided it must be another variable. Actually this may not be true, but I had a 
lecturer at Manchester University once who swore it was - at least it is possible. 
FORTRAN just doesn't cut it as a modern computer language.

I think you're doing E-o a bit of a diservice uttering FORTRAN in the same breath. 
It's one dying language I don't think we'll bother preserving thank you.
  
>  I think articles about interlinguistic have the right to figure in
> sci.lang, haven't they ?

But I agree with that.
-- 
Andre Shapps


