Summary
In this chapter, we looked at the basics of parallel computing and situated IPython in relation to its primary competitor, Fortran.
We started with the history of computing and saw how each advancement was driven by the need to solve more difficult problems and simulate more complex phenomena. Computers are simply the latest in the line of computational tools and have brought with them their own difficulties.
Fortran provided answers to problems of readability, portability, and efficiency within the computing environments that existed in early machines. These early machines prized runtime efficiency above everything else, and Fortran was geared toward this end.
Decades have passed since the earliest machines, and cycles have become cheaper. ...
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