Change history

Distribution 2-5

Norman Gray, 10 March 2003

Minor edits, plus repackaging

5.1 TeX and LaTeX

Added a pointer to Peter Flynn's Beginner's LaTeX

Distribution 2-4

Norman Gray, 22 July 2002

Minor edits for clarity, and to restore missing references.

2.3.2.1 Endianness of floating-point numbers

Paragraph transformed into section

Distribution 2-3

Norman Gray, 16 July 2002

Minor edits -- typos and enhancements spotted now and again.

2.4.5 Java

Hoisted the Java section up a level, and added some remarks about efficiency and profiling.

5.1 TeX and LaTeX

Added a reference to the Adam Lewenberg book pointers

Distribution 2-2

Norman Gray, 1 December 2001

Slight reworking after comments

2.3.2.3 Other floating-point topics

Mention that x.ne.x is true when x is a NaN

4.1 Astrophysical modelling codes

Reworking of this section after comments from BS; added VALD and Dusty links.

Distribution 2-1

Norman Gray, 4 December 2001

Update to IEEE trap details

2.3.2.3 Other floating-point topics

Added table of compilers and enabled IEEE traps

A Example programs

Added download URL

Version 2

Norman Gray, 2 December 2001

Updating, link-checking, general refreshing.

Changes in this version

Norman Gray, 2 December 2001

Updating, link-checking, general refreshing.

2.2 Editors

Added more vi URLs, caught typos

2.3.2.2 Accuracy

Added a brief description of the format of doubles

2.4 Programming languages

Mention of SUN/209 in the context of dynamic memory allocation in Fortran.

2.4.5 Java

Pointed out that JITs make Java a candidate for high-end codes, pointing to the Java Grande Forum for details.

2.5.2.3 I/O

Checked fwrite/fread syntax, and discussed unformatted IO in Fortran.

2.5.5 Compilers, and other stray remarks on code

Advice to use prototypes, to avoid another class of silly errors; added all-warnings switches for Sun and Compaq.

4.1 Astrophysical modelling codes

Expanded this section considerably, with several more links.

4.2 General-purpose and numerical libraries

Longer discussion of the GPL and other free licences.

4.2.1 Reading and writing data

Added CONVERT example, and added pointers to FITS and cfitsio.

5.1 TeX and LaTeX

Pointers to the LaTeX project, other tutorials, and the TeX FAQ. Some reorganisation.

A Example programs

Added islittleendian example program

A.2 fpp.c

Replaced with expanded/corrected program, which also deals with doubles.

Change 20 June 2000

Norman Gray, 20 June 2000

Incorporating comments from others.

2.2 Editors

Expanded the description of vi

2.4.1 Fortran 77

Added pointers to Fortran standard document.

2.4.5 Java

Added a description of Java's model of compiling to interpreted bytecodes, to the extent that this relates to efficiency and speed.

2.4.6.2 Perl

Added pointer to the Schwartz reference, and a description of Perl's compile-then-interpret model.

2.5.2.1 Avoid using the register keyword in C

Rewritten following comments

2.5.2.2 Walk through arrays in the correct order

Updated/corrected comments on page faults by adding MBT's comments on cache faults.

2.5.2.3 I/O

Added remarks and examples on raw IO

2.5.2.4 Use NaN and Infinity

Mention speed tradeoffs, following comments

Change 14 June 2000

Norman Gray, 14 June 2000

Conversion to SGML

Version 1

Norman Gray, 22 December 1998

Last LaTeX version

Changes in this version

Norman Gray, 22 December 1998

Last LaTeX version