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Jonathan Eaton

Goodreads Author

Genre

Historical Fiction, Science Fiction

Influences

Isak Dinesen
Kernighan and Ritchie
Kurt Vonnegut
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Sigmu ...more

Member Since

June 2011

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Jonathan Eaton grew up in Texas in the 20th century, moved to Oregon in the 21st century, and is currently researching and writing about Texas in the 19th century. He is married and has a cat.

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How did Kernighan and Ritchie influence your careful mis-en-scene construction in The Prairie Martian?

Jonathan Eaton Ha! I wondered who would read my list of “influences” and know who Kernighan and Ritchie were. Now I know. To answer to your question:

First, for the n…moreHa! I wondered who would read my list of “influences” and know who Kernighan and Ritchie were. Now I know. To answer to your question:

First, for the non-software developers who might read this, BASIC and C are two very different computer programming languages. Writing a BASIC program is like taking a bus (in a city with darn good public transportation): Advantages: You can get where you want to go without having to know anything about stoplights or one-way streets or speed-limits, etc. Disadvantages: you don’t get to pick the route, or exactly when you are going to arrive. Writing a C program is like driving a car. Advantages: You get to pick the route (presumably the shortest, or quickest, or most scenic), and can determine (more-or-less) when you’re going to leave and when you’re going to get there. Disadvantages: You _do_ have to understand traffic signals and other rules of the road, and perhaps, most importantly, you have to keep an eye on the gas and temperature gauges.

In short, C is a more technical, less human-friendly, language than BASIC, and requires a better understanding of fundamental concepts of computers and information processing. You would think, then, that a manual for the C programming language would also be less human-friendly. But what struck me about Kernighan and Ritchie’s classic “The C Programming Language” was that it was clearly written with the humanity of software developers in mind. It is not simply a list of keywords and a grammar definition. It includes examples of usage, and comments on how those code snippets might be improved or revised for different purposes—but more importantly, it addresses the reader as though he/she were human. Take, for example, the operation of _while_ and _for_ loops: The manual could have described a particular circumstance as follows:

“if the ‘while’ or ‘for’ loop test fails when first encountered, the body of the loop will never be executed, and execution will proceed with the next statement outside the loop”

But, instead, the manual says: “One of the nice things about ‘while’ and ‘for’ is that they test at the top of the loop, before proceeding with the body. If there is nothing to do, nothing is done.”

Simply by using the word “nice”, K&R let the reader know that _they_ know they are addressing a human being, not some mindless programming automaton. In other words, K&R’s “The C Programming Language” is human-friendly interface on an inhuman/human-unfriendly construct.

Now, about the influence of K&R on “The Prairie Martian” . . .
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19th century Texas trivia question: turnvereins. I was in the back end of Houston, saw a ruined building with the word 'turnverein' carved over an ornate door. Asked my mom. She said it was a dance club in the '30s. Apparently in her grand-parents time it was a political/social movement. Ever heard of them?

Jonathan Eaton I confess I have not--but looks interesting. A quick bit of research indicates that at the time I generally focus on (1870-1900) these were social gym…moreI confess I have not--but looks interesting. A quick bit of research indicates that at the time I generally focus on (1870-1900) these were social gymnastics clubs. The concept came from Germany, and of course, there were plenty of German immigrants in Texas at that time. I wish I could post a picture here (I can't, can I?). I found an nice sketch of a ladder-assisted human-pyramid in 19th century turnverein contest. Well, here's a link: https://books.google.com/books?id=PO3...

Thanks for my new word o' the day!(less)

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Jonathan Eaton’s books

Average rating: 4.43 · 53 ratings · 34 reviews · 10 distinct works

	The Prairie Martian 4.29 avg rating — 21 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Outlaws and Worse 4.67 avg rating — 9 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Good Man for an Outlaw 4.50 avg rating — 8 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Bumblebee and Other Stories: Thirteen Stories from the Master of Far-Out Fiction 4.33 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	50 Stories 50 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	13 Short Plays 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Walther Harp Dreams it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Metal Man of the Prairie it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bridges (NIWA Anthologies Book 7) by Lee French (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Pam Bainbridge-Cowan (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Amber Michelle Cook (Goodreads Author) (Contributor ) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	To Err is Robot 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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The Avalanche

A new (free) short story for you on my short-story website. This one is my brother's translation of an Italian short story by Cesare Cantù, written in 1836.

Enjoy

https://coryluspress.com/the-avalanche/

rustic Italian mountain village

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