Editing Numerical Recipes (section)

=== Content ===
Numerical Recipes is a single volume that covers a very broad range of algorithms. Unfortunately that format skewed the choice of algorithms towards simpler and shorter early algorithms which were not as accurate, efficient or stable as later more complex algorithms.<ref name=quut>{{cite web |title=Reviews: Numerical Recipes |url=http://www.quut.com/c/num-recipes-in-c.html |website=www.quut.com |access-date=28 January 2019}} (updated for the third edition; [https://www.lysator.liu.se/c/num-recipes-in-c.html clone URL])</ref><ref name=Snyder>{{cite web |last1=Van Snyder |first1=W. |title=Why not use Numerical Recipes? |url=https://www.stat.uchicago.edu/~lekheng/courses/302/wnnr/nr.html |website=stat.uchicago.edu |access-date=28 January 2019|date=March 1991}} (Date estimated by Editor's remark. Last update circa September 1999; [http://www.uwyo.edu/buerkle/misc/wnotnr.html older clone])</ref> The first edition had also some minor bugs, which were fixed in later editions; however according to the authors for years they were encountering on the internet rumors that Numerical Recipes is ''"full of bugs"''. They attributed this to people using outdated versions of the code, bugs in other parts of the code and misuse of routines which require some understanding to use correctly.<ref name=nrdr>{{cite web |title=Numerical Recipes Distressing Rumors |url=http://numerical.recipes/bug-rebutt.html |website=numerical.recipes |date=February 1999 |access-date=28 January 2019}} (Date given is first archive.org date for the page on the old nr.com domain.)</ref>

The rebuttal does not, however, cover criticisms regarding lack of mentions to code limitations, boundary conditions, and more modern algorithms, another theme in Snyder's comment compilation.<ref name=Snyder/> A precision issue in Bessel functions has persisted to the third edition according to Pavel Holoborodko.<ref name=quut/>

Despite criticism by numerical analysts, engineers and scientists generally find the book conveniently broad in scope.<ref name=Snyder/> Norman Gray concurs in the following quote:<ref>{{cite web |last=Gray|first=Norman |title=Numerical Recipes |url=http://www.astro.gla.ac.uk/users/norman/star/sc13/sc13.htx/N-a2b3c1.html |website=Theory and Modelling Resources Cookbook, www.astro.gla.ac.uk}}</ref>
<blockquote>Numerical Recipes [nr] does not claim to be a numerical analysis textbook, and it makes a point of noting that its authors are (astro-)physicists and engineers rather than analysts, and so share the motivations and impatience of the book's intended audience. The declared premise of the NR authors is that you will come to grief one way or the other if you use numerical routines you do not understand. They attempt to give you enough mathematical detail that you understand the routines they present, in enough depth that you can diagnose problems when they occur, and make more sophisticated choices about replacements when the NR routines run out of steam. [...]</blockquote>