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rCLInsect biomass: Insects are incredibly numerous, with an estimated
10,000 trillion (10^19) insects on Earth. Their individual weights vary widely, but an average insect might weigh around 3 milligrams (0.003
grams). Multiplying this by the number of insects gives a global insect biomass of approximately 300 million metric tons (10^19 insects |u 0.003 grams ree 3 |u 10^14 grams = 300 million tons).rCY
On 2025-09-12, Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
rCLInsect biomass: Insects are incredibly numerous, with an estimated
10,000 trillion (10^19) insects on Earth. Their individual weights vary
widely, but an average insect might weigh around 3 milligrams (0.003
grams). Multiplying this by the number of insects gives a global insect
biomass of approximately 300 million metric tons (10^19 insects |u 0.003
grams ree 3 |u 10^14 grams = 300 million tons).rCY
10^19 |u 0.003 is 3 |u 10^16.
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times. I
don't believe it. I think that there are way more insects by mass than >humans.
Grok really screwed up.-a 10,000 trillion is 10^16.
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times. I
don't believe it. I think that there are way more insects by mass than
humans.
Indeed. Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon fill up. --scott
On 9/13/2025 9:27 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I
don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by mass than >>> humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon fill
up.
--scott
Been there done that.-a Gnats form clouds on roads and taste horrible.
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times. I
don't believe it. I think that there are way more insects by mass than
humans.
Indeed. Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon fill up. --scott
On 9/13/2025 11:59 AM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 9/13/2025 9:27 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:So don't wear a open face helmet.
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I
don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by mass than >>>> humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon
fill up.
--scott
Been there done that.-a Gnats form clouds on roads and taste horrible.
On 9/13/25 13:32, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 9/13/2025 11:59 AM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 9/13/2025 9:27 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:So don't wear a open face helmet.
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I >>>>> don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by mass >>>>> than
humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon
fill up.
--scott
Been there done that.-a Gnats form clouds on roads and taste horrible.
-a-a-a-aSo you agree with RFK Jr. as to enforcing natural selection?
-a-a-a-aI have worn Open Face helmet with high strength plastic face protectings, transparent, full and half face vizors. Not for the insects
but for other stuff like rain, sleet and snow.-a For hail I found a freeway overpass to shelter under.-a Also wore full coverage helmets but weight became an issue.-a Googles wouldn't fix over my glasses very well.
On 9/13/2025 3:20 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
On 9/13/25 13:32, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 9/13/2025 11:59 AM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 9/13/2025 9:27 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:So don't wear a open face helmet.
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I >>>>>> don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by mass >>>>>> than
humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon
fill up.
--scott
Been there done that.-a Gnats form clouds on roads and taste horrible. >>>>
-a-a-a-a-aSo you agree with RFK Jr. as to enforcing natural selection?
No and I'm insulted.
-a-a-a-a-aI have worn Open Face helmet with high strength plastic faceI never had any problem wearing a full head-n-face helmet during my
protectings, transparent, full and half face vizors. Not for the insects
but for other stuff like rain, sleet and snow.-a For hail I found a
freeway
overpass to shelter under.-a Also wore full coverage helmets but weight
became an issue.-a Googles wouldn't fix over my glasses very well.
years as a rice-rocket jockey.
On 9/12/2025 11:38 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:Or at least check the results.
Grok really screwed up.a 10,000 trillion is 10^16.
Grok? I would urge you to instead use a trustworthy AI, but that's an >oxymoron.
On 9/12/2025 11:38 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
Grok really screwed up.-a 10,000 trillion is 10^16.
Grok?-a I would urge you to instead use a trustworthy AI, but that's an oxymoron.
On 9/13/2025 11:59 AM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 9/13/2025 9:27 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:So don't wear a open face helmet.
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I
don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by mass than >>>> humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon
fill up.
--scott
Been there done that.-a Gnats form clouds on roads and taste horrible.
On 9/13/25 18:08, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 9/13/2025 3:20 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:-a-a-a-aGood for you. Holding up my head is tiring these days.-a I went out for couple
On 9/13/25 13:32, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 9/13/2025 11:59 AM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 9/13/2025 9:27 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:So don't wear a open face helmet.
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I >>>>>>> don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by
mass than
humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon >>>>>> fill up.
--scott
Been there done that.-a Gnats form clouds on roads and taste horrible. >>>>>
-a-a-a-a-aSo you agree with RFK Jr. as to enforcing natural selection?
No and I'm insulted.
-a-a-a-a-aI have worn Open Face helmet with high strength plastic faceI never had any problem wearing a full head-n-face helmet during my
protectings, transparent, full and half face vizors. Not for the insects >>> but for other stuff like rain, sleet and snow.-a For hail I found a
freeway
overpass to shelter under.-a Also wore full coverage helmets but weight
became an issue.-a Googles wouldn't fix over my glasses very well.
years as a rice-rocket jockey.
of errands & walked no more than 6 blocks.-a I stayed up long enought to
fix a meal
caught up on computer correspondence then washed my dishes before catching about 80 winks.-a Then a friend called with a household electrical
problem. I got up
after that.
-a-a-a-aWaiting now for my supper to finish cooking.
-a-a-a-aKeep the rubber side down is the most important rule of motorvehicle operation no matter how many wheels you have.
-a-a-a-abliss
On 9/13/25 07:27, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I
don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by mass than >>> humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon fill
up.
--scott
-a-a-a-aIndeed riding in Utah many years ago as I left the Idaho Naval Nuclear site and even with a half visor I got smacked in my lips by a
heavy insect which died on contact.
But windshields and full helmet vizors can help with that problem.
-a-a-a-abliss
On 9/13/2025 10:34 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
On 9/13/25 18:08, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 9/13/2025 3:20 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:-a-a-a-a-aGood for you. Holding up my head is tiring these days.-a I went >> out for couple
On 9/13/25 13:32, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 9/13/2025 11:59 AM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 9/13/2025 9:27 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:So don't wear a open face helmet.
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I >>>>>>>> don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by >>>>>>>> mass than
humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon >>>>>>> fill up.
--scott
Been there done that.-a Gnats form clouds on roads and taste horrible. >>>>>>
-a-a-a-a-aSo you agree with RFK Jr. as to enforcing natural selection?
No and I'm insulted.
-a-a-a-a-aI have worn Open Face helmet with high strength plastic face >>>> protectings, transparent, full and half face vizors. Not for theI never had any problem wearing a full head-n-face helmet during my
insects
but for other stuff like rain, sleet and snow.-a For hail I found a
freeway
overpass to shelter under.-a Also wore full coverage helmets but weight >>>> became an issue.-a Googles wouldn't fix over my glasses very well.
years as a rice-rocket jockey.
of errands & walked no more than 6 blocks.-a I stayed up long enought
to fix a meal
caught up on computer correspondence then washed my dishes before
catching
about 80 winks.-a Then a friend called with a household electrical
problem. I got up
after that.
-a-a-a-a-aWaiting now for my supper to finish cooking.
-a-a-a-a-aKeep the rubber side down is the most important rule of motorvehicle
operation no matter how many wheels you have.
-a-a-a-a-abliss
I would say yes but keeping those four and eighteen wheeled objects from hitting you on your motorcycle is equally important.-a Or, from turning
left in front of you and presenting their broad side to you on a two
lane road.
Lynn
On 9/13/2025 5:11 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
On 9/13/25 07:27, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I
don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by mass than >>>> humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon
fill up.
--scott
-a-a-a-a-aIndeed riding in Utah many years ago as I left the Idaho Naval
Nuclear site and even with a half visor I got smacked in my lips by a
heavy insect which died on contact.
But windshields and full helmet vizors can help with that problem.
-a-a-a-a-abliss
I had a windshield on my last bike.-a It was hotter than all get out when the radiator fan on my 2003 Honda Valkyrie kicked on.
-a-a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Valkyrie
I miss that bike some days.-a I was surprised that I never got a ticket
on it as I would pop it up to 120 mph some days.
Lynn
On 9/13/2025 3:32 PM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 9/13/2025 11:59 AM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 9/13/2025 9:27 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:So don't wear a open face helmet.
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I >>>>> don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by mass >>>>> than
humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon
fill up.
--scott
Been there done that.-a Gnats form clouds on roads and taste horrible.
Now you tell me.-a Where were you in the fall of 1979 ?
On 9/16/25 12:47, Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 9/13/2025 5:11 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:-a-a-a-aI had windsheilds on most of my motorcycles but with the R75/5 I had a fairing, American-made of handlaid fiberglass with a handy pocket on each side and frame mounted. Tried for the same on my Yamaha 550 V-Twin but
On 9/13/25 07:27, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I >>>>> don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by mass >>>>> than
humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon
fill up.
--scott
-a-a-a-a-aIndeed riding in Utah many years ago as I left the Idaho Naval >>> Nuclear site and even with a half visor I got smacked in my lips by a
heavy insect which died on contact.
But windshields and full helmet vizors can help with that problem.
-a-a-a-a-abliss
I had a windshield on my last bike.-a It was hotter than all get out
when the radiator fan on my 2003 Honda Valkyrie kicked on.
-a-a-a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Valkyrie
I miss that bike some days.-a I was surprised that I never got a ticket
on it as I would pop it up to 120 mph some days.
Lynn
the fairing and its windshield were not as durable as the one on the BMW.
On 9/13/2025 10:53 AM, Mark Jackson wrote:
On 9/12/2025 11:38 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
Grok really screwed up.-a 10,000 trillion is 10^16.
Grok?-a I would urge you to instead use a trustworthy AI, but that's an
oxymoron.
I would trust none of the AIs to write code for me. Especially in my >ongoing project to convert my 850,000 lines of F77 code to C++ code.
On 9/13/2025 3:32 PM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
Been there done that.-a Gnats form clouds on roads and taste horrible.So don't wear a open face helmet.
Now you tell me. Where were you in the fall of 1979 ?
On 9/13/2025 10:34 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
On 9/13/25 18:08, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 9/13/2025 3:20 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:-a-a-a-a-aGood for you. Holding up my head is tiring these days.-a I went >> out for couple
On 9/13/25 13:32, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 9/13/2025 11:59 AM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 9/13/2025 9:27 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:So don't wear a open face helmet.
Lynn McGuire-a <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
Grok tells me that humans outmass insects on Earth by two times.-a I >>>>>>>> don't believe it.-a I think that there are way more insects by >>>>>>>> mass than
humans.
Indeed.-a Ride a motorcycle in the summer and your mouth will soon >>>>>>> fill up.
--scott
Been there done that.-a Gnats form clouds on roads and taste horrible. >>>>>>
-a-a-a-a-aSo you agree with RFK Jr. as to enforcing natural selection?
No and I'm insulted.
-a-a-a-a-aI have worn Open Face helmet with high strength plastic face >>>> protectings, transparent, full and half face vizors. Not for theI never had any problem wearing a full head-n-face helmet during my
insects
but for other stuff like rain, sleet and snow.-a For hail I found a
freeway
overpass to shelter under.-a Also wore full coverage helmets but weight >>>> became an issue.-a Googles wouldn't fix over my glasses very well.
years as a rice-rocket jockey.
of errands & walked no more than 6 blocks.-a I stayed up long enought
to fix a meal
caught up on computer correspondence then washed my dishes before
catching
about 80 winks.-a Then a friend called with a household electrical
problem. I got up
after that.
-a-a-a-a-aWaiting now for my supper to finish cooking.
-a-a-a-a-aKeep the rubber side down is the most important rule of motorvehicle
operation no matter how many wheels you have.
-a-a-a-a-abliss
I would say yes but keeping those four and eighteen wheeled objects from hitting you on your motorcycle is equally important.-a Or, from turning
left in front of you and presenting their broad side to you on a two
lane road.
Lynn
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:I suspect that last bit was satire. Note that he is talking about C++,
On 9/13/2025 10:53 AM, Mark Jackson wrote:
On 9/12/2025 11:38 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
Grok really screwed up.-a 10,000 trillion is 10^16.
Grok?-a I would urge you to instead use a trustworthy AI, but that's an >>> oxymoron.
I would trust none of the AIs to write code for me. Especially in my >>ongoing project to convert my 850,000 lines of F77 code to C++ code.
We do have f2c for that, which isn't wonderful but is non-horrible and >non-AI.
Why are you doing this, though? Are you looking for the added security
and reliability of null-terminated strings and dynamically-allocated >variables?
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:Sounds like the (European) foreign car tradition of the 50s.
On 9/13/2025 3:32 PM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
Been there done that.-a Gnats form clouds on roads and taste horrible. >>>>So don't wear a open face helmet.
Now you tell me. Where were you in the fall of 1979 ?
In the fall of 1979 I was probably by the side of the road fixing a
2-cycle Moto-Guzzi product. I didn't actually ride it much but I
repaired it a lot.
On Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:53:19 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
Dorsey) wrote:
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
On 9/13/2025 10:53 AM, Mark Jackson wrote:
On 9/12/2025 11:38 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
Grok really screwed up.=C2=A0 10,000 trillion is 10^16.=20
Grok?=C2=A0 I would urge you to instead use a trustworthy AI, but = >that's an=20
oxymoron.
I would trust none of the AIs to write code for me. Especially in my=20 >>>ongoing project to convert my 850,000 lines of F77 code to C++ code.
We do have f2c for that, which isn't wonderful but is non-horrible and >>non-AI.
Why are you doing this, though? Are you looking for the added security
and reliability of null-terminated strings and dynamically-allocated=20 >>variables?
I suspect that last bit was satire. Note that he is talking about C++,
not about C.=20
On Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:53:19 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
Dorsey) wrote:
Why are you doing this, though? Are you looking for the added security
and reliability of null-terminated strings and dynamically-allocated=20 >>variables?
I suspect that last bit was satire. Note that he is talking about C++,
not about C.=20
IIRC, he is trying to move his software from a 32-bit world to a
64-bit world, and this has something to do with the availability of
64-bit compilers.
Or maybe my memory is just making all that up.
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
On 9/13/2025 10:53 AM, Mark Jackson wrote:
On 9/12/2025 11:38 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
Grok really screwed up.-a 10,000 trillion is 10^16.
Grok?-a I would urge you to instead use a trustworthy AI, but that's an
oxymoron.
I would trust none of the AIs to write code for me. Especially in my
ongoing project to convert my 850,000 lines of F77 code to C++ code.
We do have f2c for that, which isn't wonderful but is non-horrible and non-AI.
Why are you doing this, though? Are you looking for the added security
and reliability of null-terminated strings and dynamically-allocated variables?
On Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:53:19 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
Dorsey) wrote:
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
On 9/13/2025 10:53 AM, Mark Jackson wrote:
On 9/12/2025 11:38 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
Grok really screwed up.|e-a 10,000 trillion is 10^16.
Grok?|e-a I would urge you to instead use a trustworthy AI, but that's an >>>> oxymoron.
I would trust none of the AIs to write code for me. Especially in my
ongoing project to convert my 850,000 lines of F77 code to C++ code.
We do have f2c for that, which isn't wonderful but is non-horrible and
non-AI.
Why are you doing this, though? Are you looking for the added security
and reliability of null-terminated strings and dynamically-allocated
variables?
I suspect that last bit was satire. Note that he is talking about C++,
not about C.
IIRC, he is trying to move his software from a 32-bit world to a
64-bit world, and this has something to do with the availability of
64-bit compilers.
Or maybe my memory is just making all that up.
Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
On Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:53:19 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
Dorsey) wrote:
Why are you doing this, though? Are you looking for the added security
and reliability of null-terminated strings and dynamically-allocated=20
variables?
I suspect that last bit was satire. Note that he is talking about C++,
not about C.=20
Indeed. One of the main benefits of Fortran is that you don't have to
trust engineers with pointers.
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Paul S Person-a <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
On Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:53:19 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
Dorsey) wrote:
Why are you doing this, though?-a Are you looking for the added security >>>> and reliability of null-terminated strings and dynamically-allocated=20 >>>> variables?
I suspect that last bit was satire. Note that he is talking about C++,
not about C.=20
Indeed.-a One of the main benefits of Fortran is that you don't have to
trust engineers with pointers.
I think I found a way to make every conceivable error with Fortran-77,
and I'm not an engineer.
Just natural talent, I guess.
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
On 9/13/2025 10:53 AM, Mark Jackson wrote:
On 9/12/2025 11:38 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
Grok really screwed up.-a 10,000 trillion is 10^16.
Grok?-a I would urge you to instead use a trustworthy AI, but that's an
oxymoron.
I would trust none of the AIs to write code for me. Especially in my
ongoing project to convert my 850,000 lines of F77 code to C++ code.
We do have f2c for that, which isn't wonderful but is non-horrible and non-AI.
Why are you doing this, though? Are you looking for the added security
and reliability of null-terminated strings and dynamically-allocated variables?
--scott
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Paul S Person-a <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
On Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:53:19 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
Dorsey) wrote:
Why are you doing this, though?-a Are you looking for the added security >>>> and reliability of null-terminated strings and dynamically-allocated=20 >>>> variables?
I suspect that last bit was satire. Note that he is talking about C++,
not about C.=20
Indeed.-a One of the main benefits of Fortran is that you don't have to
trust engineers with pointers.
I think I found a way to make every conceivable error with Fortran-77,
and I'm not an engineer.
Just natural talent, I guess.
William Hyde
On 9/16/2025 6:53 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
On 9/13/2025 10:53 AM, Mark Jackson wrote:
On 9/12/2025 11:38 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
Grok really screwed up.-a 10,000 trillion is 10^16.
Grok?-a I would urge you to instead use a trustworthy AI, but that's an >>>> oxymoron.
I would trust none of the AIs to write code for me. Especially in my
ongoing project to convert my 850,000 lines of F77 code to C++ code.
We do have f2c for that, which isn't wonderful but is non-horrible and
non-AI.
Why are you doing this, though? Are you looking for the added security
and reliability of null-terminated strings and dynamically-allocated
variables?
--scott
Too late. My F77 code calls malloc, free, and realloc extensively.
We have been using dynamic memory in our F66 code since 1977 or so.
That is how we and our customers were able to simulate refineries back
in the 1970s with only 64K words on mainframes (Univac 1108, CDC 7600,
and IBM 370 junk).
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Indeed. One of the main benefits of Fortran is that you don't have to
trust engineers with pointers.
I think I found a way to make every conceivable error with Fortran-77,
and I'm not an engineer.
Just natural talent, I guess.
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> writes:
Too late. My F77 code calls malloc, free, and realloc extensively.
We have been using dynamic memory in our F66 code since 1977 or so.
That is how we and our customers were able to simulate refineries back
in the 1970s with only 64K words on mainframes (Univac 1108, CDC 7600,
and IBM 370 junk).
I think you're conflating dynamic allocation with virtual memory.
Dynamic allocation is still limited to the size of the program
address space unless you use overlays of some form or operating
system provided virtual memory.
Scott Lurndal <slp53@pacbell.net> wrote:
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> writes:
Too late. My F77 code calls malloc, free, and realloc extensively.
We have been using dynamic memory in our F66 code since 1977 or so.
That is how we and our customers were able to simulate refineries back
in the 1970s with only 64K words on mainframes (Univac 1108, CDC 7600,
and IBM 370 junk).
I think you're conflating dynamic allocation with virtual memory.
Dynamic allocation is still limited to the size of the program
address space unless you use overlays of some form or operating
system provided virtual memory.
Yes, but dynamic allocation can dramatically improve your total memory
usage, because you only have to allocate the memory for variables while
they are in use. Once you have finished using the variable you can free
the memory it had up, instead of locking up that memory until the program ends.
If you have virtual memory, dynamic allocation doesn't buy you very much actually, since you have a giant address space available and you can
just let the machine swap out pages that contain only variables that
aren't in use.
Another possibility is to use common blocks so that unrelated variables
in different subroutines share the same memory. That's effective but
makes debugging into a horror.
Don't even mention overlays please. I am still recovering from CDC NOS. --scott
William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:When I started with C++, it was a safer form of C and featured
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Indeed. One of the main benefits of Fortran is that you don't have to
trust engineers with pointers.
I think I found a way to make every conceivable error with Fortran-77,
and I'm not an engineer.
Just natural talent, I guess.
You should try C, or even better C++. It gives you a whole new realms of >possible errors to make.