Some of the files in this directory are derived from the NUMERICAL
RECIPES PASCAL SHAREWARE DISKETTE. Please note that any use of these
filse may be subject to the following notice:
NUMERICAL RECIPES PASCAL SHAREWARE DISKETTE
The entire contents of this diskette are
Copyright (C) 1986 by Numerical Recipes Software.
HERE ARE ANSWERS TO YOUR IMMEDIATE QUESTIONS:
** What is this diskette? ** This NUMERICAL RECIPES PASCAL SHAREWARE
DISKETTE contains Pascal procedures originally published as the Pascal
Appendix to the FORTRAN book NUMERICAL RECIPES: THE ART OF SCIENTIFIC
COMPUTING (Cambridge University Press, 1986), and test driver programs
originally published as the NUMERICAL RECIPES EXAMPLE BOOK (PASCAL)
(Cambridge University Press, 1986).
** What kinds of procedures are these Numerical Recipes? ** They are
practically a complete library for scientific computation. Numbering
more than 200, their scope includes integration, linear algebra,
differential equations, Fourier methods, data analysis, statistics,
lots of special functions, random numbers, sorting, root finding,
optimization, and much more.
** Do I really get this whole library for FREE? ** Yes, providing that
you follow these simple rules: (1) You must read and accept the
disclaimer of warranty at the end of this document. (2) You must not
expect any user support from Numerical Recipes Software, Cambridge
University Press, or the authors of the Numerical Recipes books. (3)
You must not copy or redistribute any of the programs or procedures
for commercial purposes. You CAN make copies of the programs for your
friends and colleagues, providing that you include this file
(especially its copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty) with any
copy that you make.
** What's the catch, then? ** None at all. Many thousands of
satisfied users paid more than $20 to purchase exactly the programs on
this disk, which were sold by Cambridge University Press (C.U.P.)
between 1986 and 1989. C.U.P. now sells a revised version of the
Numerical Recipes program library, whose Pascal style is much
improved, but whose basic algorithmic workings are identical to this
disk. Rather than let the older version go to waste, its authors
decided to make it available to the shareware community of users.
** How can I figure out what the procedures do? ** One way is to read
the brief descriptions of all the programs in the file NRINFO.DOC. A
better way is to look at the book Numerical Recipes: The Art of
Scientific Computing in any one of its three editions (FORTRAN,
Pascal, or C). If you don't want to buy this book from Cambridge
University Press (see the file NRINFO.DOC), you can find it in
libraries. Or, take a pencil and a small piece of paper into a
bookstore that carries the book and take notes on which programs you
might find interesting.
** How do I figure out how to use the procedures? ** Again, you have
several options. All the procedures (named *.PAS) come with
demonstration programs (named *.DEM). These demonstration programs
are included on this shareware diskette. (When sold, they are sold as
a separate diskette.) Usually you can figure out how to use a
procedure by figuring out its .DEM program. Another way is to look at
the Numerical Recipes book in a library or bookstore.
** Aren't you just trying to get me to buy the book? ** Think of it
this way: Most shareware comes with the requirement that if you use it
more than casually, you are required to become a registered user and
pay a fee. We are not requiring any fee at all. We think that you
will be able to use MOST of the procedures on this diskette without
the Numerical Recipes book. If you become a more-than-casual user, or
if you look at the book in a bookstore, we are betting that you will
WANT to buy it, and perhaps then want to purchase the revised and
improved versions of the programs, also. But it is completely up to
you.
** OK, what if I do want to get the book? ** Call Cambridge University
Press at their toll-free number, 800-872-7423. (In New York call
800-227-0247 or 914-937-9600.) Ask for "Numerical Recipes in Pascal",
ISBN number 0-521-37516-9. We think you'll like it. (Over 100,000
copies of the book are in print, in FORTRAN, Pascal, and C.)
** What are the files on this diskette? ** All the procedures, in
Pascal source code, are in the ZIP file NRPAS13.ZIP. You use
PKUNZIP.EXE to decompress them. (For info just execute PKUNZIP with
no command line arguments.) All the demonstration programs are
similarly in NRPEX10.ZIP (PEX means Pascal EXamples). Some data files
used by the procedures and demonstrations programs are in NRPDATA.ZIP.
The files NRPAS13.LST and NRPEX10.LST each list the names of the files
in their corresponding ZIP file. The short file MODFILE.PAS is used
by many of the procedures to customize to your particular variety of
Pascal compiler; feel free to modify it, if you need to. The file
NRINFO.DOC tells about the book Numerical Recipes in Pascal and gives
a brief description of all the procedures. The file you are now
reading is NRREADME.DOC.
Good luck, and happy number-crunching!
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
---------- -- --------
THE PROGRAMS AND PROCEDURES ON THIS DISKETTE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS"
WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, THAT THE PROGRAMS AND PROCEDURES ARE FREE OF ERROR, OR ARE
CONSISTENT WITH ANY PARTICULAR STANDARD OF MERCHANTABILITY, OR THAT
THEY WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS FOR ANY PARTICULAR APPLICATION. THEY
SHOULD NOT BE RELIED ON FOR SOLVING A PROBLEM WHOSE INCORRECT SOLUTION
COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO A PERSON OR LOSS OF PROPERTY. IF YOU DO USE
THE PROGRAMS OR PROCEDURES IN SUCH A MANNER, IT IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.
THE AUTHORS AND PUBLISHER DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY FOR DIRECT,
INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM YOUR USE OF THE
PROGRAMS OR PROCEDURES ON THIS DISKETTE. ANY LIABILITY OF THE PERSON
OR PERSONS FROM WHOM YOU DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY OBTAINED THIS DISKETTE
WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OF DISKETTES WITH
MANUFACTURING DEFECTS.