[Info-vax] Is C++ good in scientific computation? Why did Fortran lose its popularity?

[Joukj]

Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> 
> Fortran is still widely used in that field.
> 
> A lot is also done in R and Python, but that because there
> is a need for something higher level.
> 
> Some is done in C and C++, but I don't think it is more than
> what can be considered natural given that it is two mainstream
> languages.
> 
> There is also some Java, because even though Java has some
> problems in this field, then most of the big data foundational
> stuff is Java.
> 
That's also what I see here at the university in Delft. Big packages we 
use for quantum-mechanical calculation (i.e. Vasp & Abinit) are written 
in Fortran.
My own programs are normally programmed in a mixture of Fortran/C/C++ 
(Fortran for the core calculations, C++ for the user-interface and C to 
interact with the system by system-utilities)

However, since companies use Python very often, students have to learn 
it, and that is what they (only) know and tend to use.