[danh]

Favorite part:

"Since the only computer language Richard was really familiar with was Basic, he made up a parallel version of Basic in which he wrote the program and then simulated it by hand to estimate how fast it would run on the Connection Machine."

[AceJohnny2]

I would've hoped someone of Feynman's level would've easily picked up a better language.

[gliese1337]

Someone like Feynman is capable of inventing a new language for parallel computing and correctly simulating its execution by hand.

That's a much more impressive skill than just learning another language.

[AceJohnny2]

I don't think so. He didn't invent a new language, but extended an existing one. And I simulate what a program does in my head all the time when debugging (including multithreaded stuff, but I agree that's hard).

[anywhichway]

Feynman may have found the arbitrary nature of syntax for a new language a tedious learning exercise.