Etymology of subscript in C ( OT)

[mdh]

Does anyone know the origin of the use of subscript in the language?
The oxford dictionary defines it "Computing a symbol (notionally
written as a subscript but in practice usually not) used in a program,
alone or with others, to specify one of the elements of an array"
Is this indeed how arrays were written?

[Richard Tobin]

In article <11**********************@o80g2000hse.googlegroups .com>,
mdh <md**@comcast.netwrote:

>Does anyone know the origin of the use of subscript in the language?
The oxford dictionary defines it "Computing a symbol (notionally
written as a subscript but in practice usually not) used in a program,
alone or with others, to specify one of the elements of an array"
Is this indeed how arrays were written?

It just corresponds to the usual mathematical notation of using
subscripted variables. They're inconvenient to type on computers (and
were more inconvenient in the past) so bracket notations are used
instead.

-- Richard

--
"Consideration shall be given to the need for as many as 32 characters
in some alphabets" - X3.4, 1963.

[Richard Heathfield]

mdh said:

Does anyone know the origin of the use of subscript in the language?
The oxford dictionary defines it "Computing a symbol (notionally
written as a subscript but in practice usually not) used in a program,
alone or with others, to specify one of the elements of an array"
Is this indeed how arrays were written?

Here is an excerpt from what is probably John von Neumann's first
computer program:

http://www.cpax.org.uk/scratch/vnp1.png

I've circled the most obviously relevant bits in red.

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php>
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

[mdh]

On Sep 14, 9:01 am, [e-mail] (Richard Tobin) wrote:

>
It just corresponds to the usual mathematical notation of using
subscripted variables. They're inconvenient to type on computers (and
were more inconvenient in the past) so bracket notations are used
instead.

Thanks

[mdh]

On Sep 14, 9:38 am, Richard Heathfield <[e-mail]:

>
Here is an excerpt from what is probably John von Neumann's first
computer program:

http://www.cpax.org.uk/scratch/vnp1.png

I've circled the most obviously relevant bits in red.

Thank you Richard...

[Richard Tobin]

In article <4M******************************@bt.com>,
Richard Heathfield <rj*@see.sig.invalidwrote:

>Here is an excerpt from what is probably John von Neumann's first
computer program:

http://www.cpax.org.uk/scratch/vnp1.png

I see that unreadable code is nothing new.

-- Richard
--
"Consideration shall be given to the need for as many as 32 characters
in some alphabets" - X3.4, 1963.