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From: "E. Robert Tisdale" <edwin@netwood.net>
Subject: Re: The Ada Scalar, Vector, Matrix and Tensor arithmetic library?
Date: 1999/12/06
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Date: 1999-12-06T00:00:00+00:00
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David Starner wrote:

> On Sun, 05 Dec 1999 17:38:01 +0000,
> E. Robert Tisdale <edwin@netwood.net> wrote:
> > Competition benefits application programmers
> > only if library developers all support a standard API
> > and can substitute one implementation for another at any time.
>
> I disagree.
> One of the reasons to choose one library over the other is the API.
> The usual reason, in fact.
> Very rarely have I seen libraries compete with the same API -
> slang/ncurses, motif/lesstif are the exceptions.
> So, it seems to me,
> the standard API kills competition in the library world.

But, in fact, differences between APIs are arbitrary
and superficial for most vector and matrix libraries.
Most library developers could easily support a standard API
including a standard language binding for C++ and Ada.
A standard API doesn't preclude other APIs
or even other standard APIs.