Re:Evaluation of C, Go, and Rust in the HPC environment [pdf]
by chrisseaton on Saturday May 02, 2015 @01:57PM
(#9477905)
Why do scientists call programs 'codes'? It's something that seems to be particularly common in HPC, and quite rare elsewhere.
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Re:Evaluation of C, Go, and Rust in the HPC environment [pdf]
by ohquu on Saturday May 02, 2015 @02:09PM
(#9477949)
It's easier and more precise to say something like "run the quantum Monte Carlo code" than "run the quantum Monte Carlo model" or "run the quantum Monte Carlo software."
A quantum Monte Carlo code will of course include a model, but I think people don't want to call it "software" because it's so research-grade and janky. "Program" seems better, but I think that implies that it's a static thing (not in a constant state of development).
The plural "codes" is used because usually a research team has historically implemented a bunch of models into disparate codebases.