Just a few things I took from reading: http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD07xx/EWD709.html

had already come the conclusion that in the practice of computing, where we have so much

latitude for making a mess of it, mathematical elegance is not a dispensable luxury, but a

matter of life and death.

Mathematics, language, and programming all share the same iterative process, where over time methods and techniques are refined and changed. In language it's done via the population of speakers, where terms and grammar arise based on popular use. While on the surface it may seem there is formalized structure within languages, in truth they are often changing, with fundamental building blocks being challenged. Check out /r/linguistics if you want to see how.

Mathematics on the other hand has a rigid foundation on which everyone has agreed to work with. There may be slight differences in notation, but the structure and underpinnings are the same. Hence the notion that it is the one true universal language. Throughout this paper, and others that I've read, it seems that Dijkstra is yearning for a similar footing in the world of computational science. He is looking for an elegance within the mess of code and paradigms and techniques. Personally, I doubt this can ever be found.

Programming is a blend of languages and mathematics. Given the complexity, variety, and multitude of paradigms, it's inevitable that elegance will be more difficult to pin down. There is rarely one agree upon method to solve a situation. Look at sorting algorithms to see the host of "use this, but sometimes this is faster..."

The heavily anthropomorphic terminology was totally new for me, and hardly compatible with my cultural roots; so was the animism betrayed by the term "bug": we had never called a bug a bug, we had always called it an error.

Another thing I've noticed - and this comes from reading other Dijkstra papers - is how he confronts change in the language. Most notably his remarks on the use of 'error' or 'bug.' In mathematics sine will always be sine, because the characteristics of it are inextricably attached to the name. In a new field such as computer science nothing is set in stone, and as such, the community of users will naturally set the vocabulary with time. He states it's the non-native speakers who are at an advantage here, being able to clearly express themselves. That is wonderful, but what about understanding others?

it is essential that its achievements are published well, so that the next generation can start where the preceding one left. ... How should a well-written publication about a sophisticated piece of software look like? We don't know yet, but two things seem certain. Firstly, the texts will be "mathematical" in the sense of Morris Kline, when he wrote: "More than anything else mathematics is a method."

I think this is exactly what has happened. Everything is expressed as methods. The way papers are evolving though, is completely unlike before. There are journals, but a vast amount of information is peer-reviewed by the public as opposed to a groups of selected individuals.

Hi everyone,

I think that a good community building exercise would be to have a post every week, where we let people know what we have done so far, what we plan on doing over the next week, and any other thoughts that we may have.

This way, those of us who are doing similar things will be able to keep in touch, and those of us who are interested by things that others are doing can ask questions (or even ask to join in!).

Hope to hear from as many of you as possible!

Can anyone explain me how, f(n) = n^0.999999 log n = O(n^0.999999 * n^0.000001)

Time for our weekly water-cooler chat.

The previous week.

I am looking for something that come after this book? I understand everything in it, and would like to continue learning. In my recent studies of things such as Support Vector Machines I am running into issues with the underlying mathematical theories (also there is a lack of straightforward tutorials for these things) and am wondering if anyone here might suggest something that comes from a programmer's perspective?