[Beowulf] Java vs C++ for interfacing to parallel library

[Geoff Jacobs]

Joe Landman wrote:
> I take a pragmatic view.  If a language is well suited for a task, I
> think it makes sense to use it.

I agree 110%. I think we just differ on the breadth of task for which,
for example, Perl is appropriate.

> I don't advocate against Fortran.  It is a great language, very useful
> for its tasks.  It is hard to make it talk to other things, and it is 52
> years old.  But when I teach an HPC programming class and I talk about
> it, students audibly groan and tell me how their CS professors have told
> them to ignore it.  Then again, most of the kids seem to know how to
> program Java, C++, and VB.  A few even know Matlab.

I think that Fortran is still the best language to use when a programmer
wants to concentrate on hard science with maximum computational performance.

-- 
Geoffrey D. Jacobs

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Order the Special