UNIX and UNIX-like are the operating system families of Astronomy. In the modern era this practically means Mac OS (formally OS X) and, to a lesser extend, Linux. Even brief attendance at any astronomy conference will bear this out. Look out over rows of astronomers attending some plenary talk and you will be greeted withContinue reading “An awk.ward encounter pt. 1”
Author Archives: Thomas Boudreaux
Regular Expressions for the Regular Astronomer
A few months back I was talking with one of my professors from undergrad; the topic of what, with the benefit of hindsight, I would most want to add to the physics and astronomy curriculum there came up. I strongly believe that an introduction to regular expressions is somewhere near the top of that listContinue reading “Regular Expressions for the Regular Astronomer”
Why the Bugs?
Anyone who’s studied astronomy or astrophysics in the last 50 years has undoubtedly spent time wrangling computers to their whims, they are as fundamental to the modern trade as the lens has been since 1609. Despite the computer’s importance, it has been my experience that astronomers tend to learn how to program from other astronomers, who themselves have learned from other astronomers. As the saying goes…it’s astronomers all the way down. The effect is multifaceted; however, some major downsides are:
AstroBugs 