Re: [Axiom-developer] Heidegger, literate programming, and communication

[Ralf Hemmecke]

On 05/22/2014 03:29 PM, Fabio S. wrote:
>>> I can tell you I would rather maintain the four lines of C++ without
>>> the largely useless commentary.
>>
>> That's a simple AXIOM program, but I'm sure one can easily translate it
>> into any programming language.
>>
>> foo(a: Integer, b: Integer): Integer ==
>>    if a > 0 then
>>        if a > b then return foo(b,a)
>>        return foo(b-a,a))
>>    return b
>>
>> Question: Does the program have a bug?
>>
>> Ralf
> 
> Yes: there is an extra parenthesis in the fourth line... :)
> 
> Which, BTW, I discovered as soon as I pasted it in a file since it was
> error-highlighted by the syntax highlighting in vim :))

Well, you caught me, so I try again. ;-)
And... the problem is be no means specific to AXIOM.

foo(a: Integer, b: Integer): Integer ==
    if a > 0 then
        if a > b then return foo(b,a)
        return foo(b-a,a)
    return b

Question: Does the program have a bug?

> A part from this, I think the example points out that perhaps we can
> make a difference between source code of axiom (as a piece of software)
> and implementation of (higher) mathematics: maybe the need for a
> complete and thorough documentation can be considered of different
> importance in the two cases.

Sorry, I don't get the difference.

> 
> Fabio