User:Zap

My first computer programming class was during the time of the Project Apollo. I even had the chance to see Neal Armstrong when he visited the Purdue Campus after his moon landing. Those were in the days of punch cards. Even the smallest computers filled an entire room. I used Fortran to analyze certain microwave and antenna problems.

When the first 8-bit processors were available, I found it more efficient to write onto a paper coding form and give them to an experience key-punch person than type a long programs at terminal. The development system used punched paper tape to transfer the assembled code into the target system. You can read about the final product here: http://www.hpl.hp.com/hpjournal/pdfs/IssuePDFs/1983-05.pdf

Since that time, I have used various specialized programs to analyze electronic circuits, antennas and even fluid flow.

Having downloaded and run some examples of GetDP and Gmsh, they look like an excellent tools for a variety of problems.