Re: A question on Newton's Method

beliavsky@xxxxxxx wrote:
>> What happens if you allocate an array and then return it as the
>> result of a function?
>
> Fortran 95 does not have allocatable function results, but Fortran 2003
> does.
> Richard Maine discussed alternatives in the comp.lang.fortran thread
> "how to return a function result which can vary in size?"

Yes, this is exactly the kind of unnecessary deficiency I was referring to
when I used the phrase "computer-specific problems". These kinds of things
were fixed _decades_ ago and do not appear in any modern languages.
Suggesting that a new programmer learn a language plagued by such man-made
deficiencies is just plain sadistic.

Note that C++ has many of the same deficiencies. In C++, I often found
myself allocating arrays for all code inside a scope and then passing them
around by reference or even making them global. This kind of programming is
a complete waste of time and stems from poor language design. Java goes
some way to fixing these problems. The ML family of languages go even
further.

--
Dr Jon D Harrop, Flying Frog Consultancy
http://www.ffconsultancy.com
.

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