[comp.lang.fortran] Numerical Computation Newsgroup needed?

dgh%dgh@Sun.COM (David Hough) (01/06/88)

Is there a need for a separate newsgroup for discussing issues
relating to numerical scientific computation - floating point
accuracy and performance, hardware implementations,
function libraries, mathematical software, 
compiler support, numerical analysis... ?

I've posted on these topics to various partially-relevant
newsgroups, in each case hitting numerous uninterested
parties in order to find the widely scattered few who are
intensely interested in these matters.

I propose to answer the question in the following way:  if
you would originate a posting to such a newsgroup 
at least once a year please send
me MAIL.  If there is sufficient response I'll pursue getting
the newsgroup created through appropriate channels.  Please
don't POST followups with content like "Hey I vote {for,against}
such a newsgroup".  Also note that 

	* I would read it
	* I would post followups to other postings
	* I would post pleas for various types of help

don't count as "originating a posting" for this purpose,
but an original cross-posted with other appropriate news groups would. 

If interested, mail me your estimate of the number of 
postings you'd originate in a year, along with your suggestion
for the most appropriate name.  I've suggested comp.numeric,
comp.scientific, and comp.floating.


David Hough

ARPA: dhough@sun.com
UUCP: {ucbvax,decvax,allegra,decwrl,cbosgd,ihnp4,seismo}!sun!dhough

bs@linus.UUCP (Robert D. Silverman) (01/07/88)

I estimate I'd post 10-12 articles/yr as original, and reply to a
fair number of others.

How about sci.math.numeric?

Bob Silverman

eugene@pioneer.arpa (Eugene Miya N.) (01/07/88)

It exists:
The group is sci.math.num-analysis, a gatewayed group with Gene Golub's
NA mailing list.

dik@cwi.nl (Dik T. Winter) (01/07/88)

In article <3850@ames.arpa> eugene@pioneer.UUCP (Eugene Miya N.) writes:
 > It exists:
 > The group is sci.math.num-analysis, a gatewayed group with Gene Golub's
 > NA mailing list.

Yes, formally it is, but it is not really.
To get to the mailing list write to:
	NA-request@Score.Stanford.EDU
-- 
dik t. winter, cwi, amsterdam, nederland
INTERNET   : dik@cwi.nl
BITNET/EARN: dik@mcvax

cik@l.cc.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin) (01/07/88)

In article <21238@linus.UUCP>, bs@linus.UUCP (Robert D. Silverman) writes:
> 
> I estimate I'd post 10-12 articles/yr as original, and reply to a
> fair number of others.
> 
> How about sci.math.numeric?
> 
> Bob Silverman

I agree with Bob on this subject.  I would also like to point out that
the commonly held viewpoint that scientific computations are strictly
floating point is totally fallacious.  Some of the procedures I have
produced make heavy use of bit boolean operations (&, or, ~, and &~)
as well as shift operations.  I also use integer overflow.

-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@l.cc.purdue.edu (ARPA or UUCP) or hrubin@purccvm.bitnet

hofbauer@csri.toronto.edu (John Hofbauer) (01/16/88)

In article <7485@boring.cwi.nl> dik@cwi.nl (Dik T. Winter) writes:
>In article <3850@ames.arpa> eugene@pioneer.UUCP (Eugene Miya N.) writes:
> > It exists:
> > The group is sci.math.num-analysis, a gatewayed group with Gene Golub's
> > NA mailing list.
>
>Yes, formally it is, but it is not really.
>To get to the mailing list write to:
>	NA-request@Score.Stanford.EDU

U of Toronto is on this mailing list. In my opinion it doesn't really
serve the function of the proposed sci.math.na. We need an unmoderated
group to facilitate the free exchange of information about Numerical
Analysis with the larger computing community.

cik@l.cc.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin) (01/19/88)

I do not think the current mailing list is in any way a reasonable substitute
for a numerical analysis subgroup.
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@l.cc.purdue.edu (ARPA or UUCP) or hrubin@purccvm.bitnet

spencer@ogg.cgrg.ohio-state.edu (PROCEED) (01/20/88)

In article <660@l.cc.purdue.edu>, cik@l.cc.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin) writes:
> 
>I do not think the current mailing list is in any way a reasonable substitute
>for a numerical analysis subgroup.

Browsing through my .newsrc file, I find "sci.math.num-analysis" listed.
Might this be what you are looking for?  From the index after the name,
(which i didn't include here) it does not seem to have very much traffic.


-- 
                       "I'm growing older but not up..." 
Stephen Spencer, Graduate Student	|
The Computer Graphics Research Group	| {cbosgd,ucbvax}!osu-cis!ogg!spencer
The Ohio State University		| spencer@ogg.cgrg.ohio-state.edu
1501 Neil Avenue, Columbus OH 43210	|

naparst@cartan.Berkeley.EDU (Harold Naparst) (01/21/88)

>I do not think the current mailing list is in any way a reasonable substitute
>for a numerical analysis subgroup.

Right.  How are we supposed to indicate our desire to see the birth of this
newsgroup again?  I lost the original instructions.  Do we write to 
news.groups?

Harold
-- 
Harold Naparst (415)-548-4652
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  New style	naparst@cartan.berkeley.edu	
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matloff@iris.ucdavis.edu (Norm Matloff) (01/21/88)

(testing)