David Robinow wrote: > On Sun, Jan 3, 2010 at 10:42 PM, Roy Smith <r...@panix.com> wrote: >> In article <mailman.386.1262576043.28905.python-l...@python.org>, >> David Robinow <drobi...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> On Sun, Jan 3, 2010 at 8:09 PM, Tim Roberts <t...@probo.com> wrote: >>>> More than "not required", it was "not relevant". This led to one of the >>>> most infamous programming blunders in the early days of the space program, >>>> when one programmer accidentially typed a period instead of a comma >>>> resulting in the loss of a satellite: >>> Interesting story. Did you make it up? >> It's a fairly well known story. >> >> http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/5.64.html#subj4.2 > Sure. But the question is, "Who made it up?" > http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fortran > > Computer folklore has incorrectly attributed the loss of the Mariner 1 > space probe to a syntax error in a Fortran program. For example, > "Recall the first American space probe to Venus, reportedly lost > because Fortran cannot recognize a missing comma in a DO statement…"[
Wow you're totally right! It was a missing UNDERSCORE not a DOT being typed instead of a COMMA! We've been lied to ALL ALONG! What kind of sickos would do this? Let's find this Tim character, flay him alive and then go crown you the KING OF EVERYTHING for rescuing us from that deadly nugget of misinformation! Honestly I might have believed those dot/comma LIES if it wasn't for your noble selfless efforts to uncover the SHOCKING TRUTH. Imagine what might have happened! The character in question being an UNDERSCORE COMPLETELY CHANGES the meaning and point of the story. As for it being LEFT OUT rather than TRANSPOSED, well, anyone can see how that TURNS THE WHOLE STORY UPSIDE DOWN. Of course there are the naysayers who might claim absolute accuracy is no big deal in stories that are essentially parables but they do not understand the HARM that can come from not remembering really tiny, almost inconsequential details. For what it's worth I DO NOT consider you a tiresome pedant and I think your taunting, patronising style is completely appropriate and proportional to Tim's sickening crimes against fact. Roger. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
