From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.2 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID, DKIM_VALID_AU,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE,RDNS_NONE,SPF_PASS autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: (qmail 15114 invoked from network); 17 Mar 2020 13:11:29 -0000 Received-SPF: pass (minnie.tuhs.org: domain of minnie.tuhs.org designates 45.79.103.53 as permitted sender) receiver=inbox.vuxu.org; client-ip=45.79.103.53 envelope-from= Received: from unknown (HELO minnie.tuhs.org) (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTP; 17 Mar 2020 13:11:29 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 8DC7C9D748; Tue, 17 Mar 2020 23:11:22 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3A59B9BB64; Tue, 17 Mar 2020 23:10:52 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=pass (2048-bit key; unprotected) header.d=firemail.cc header.i=@firemail.cc header.b="R9Yb4XO/"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 4608F9BB64; Tue, 17 Mar 2020 23:10:49 +1000 (AEST) X-Greylist: delayed 422 seconds by postgrey-1.36 at minnie.tuhs.org; Tue, 17 Mar 2020 23:10:46 AEST Received: from mail.cock.li (mail.cock.li [37.120.193.124]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id D19F89BB61 for ; Tue, 17 Mar 2020 23:10:46 +1000 (AEST) MIME-Version: 1.0 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/simple; d=firemail.cc; s=mail; t=1584450221; bh=STPyCgM6RP4vSXH8dluEMIi39rUgOzZs/RwEHO/DW7U=; h=Date:From:To:Subject:In-Reply-To:References:From; b=R9Yb4XO/TnxzFCoJZbePWT9F2iwzXTizflgjJW6pz9+ApkTfXs/roTZUvx4K0/XnE LMhzOw2YvPICTDtrFtZtSdrLAnUCaD5vhCm5xP/o0x2lnWRRJfeTXzvXZ6GvG57CbV BK5eEkp3MPIOx28sMxGxSmGxXM12sat0gf50GbFI7aG9ZU9LZ8p3S8dPTfCk6ugxxl A2iyjiBGdo9uZHXYrNPPbxfuW6bMsGASpQ0ttULiRXABXVmcg8o4ckmtmYICiFWgYA sMMAiRY+kKHMakPDgHg/rzivlBMDOY9quy3UImqXPjW70aRh48SE+Jop0BCuE2wBt9 u+9kMUAdqP16A== Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2020 09:03:41 -0400 From: ca6c@firemail.cc To: tuhs@tuhs.org In-Reply-To: <202003132331.02DNVaxN061501@tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU> References: <202003132331.02DNVaxN061501@tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU> Message-ID: <7ec47fd97b1a3d383ffed428f21f5287@firemail.cc> X-Sender: ca6c@firemail.cc User-Agent: Roundcube Webmail/1.3.10 Subject: Re: [TUHS] The most surprising Unix programs X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" Doug McIlroy wrote: > dc > > The math library for Bob Morris's variable-precision desk calculator > used backward error analysis to determine the precision necessary at > each step to attain the user-specified precision of the result. In > my software-components talk at the 1968 NATO conference on software > engineering, I posited measurement-standard routines, which could > deliver > results of any desired precision, but did not know how to design one. > dc > still has the only such routines I know of. dc, along with ed and I guess awk if we can put it here, is one of my favorite Unix programs that I use daily. I don't even have a "normal" calculator installed. It just smells like Unix. There is something sexy about reverse Polish notation. I really do encourage everyone reading this to try dc as their "desk calculator" for some time.