History of Computing   13th Century A.D.                Lecture Notes  

For an outline of Hindu-Arabic Numerals and Algorists & Abacists:   http://scitsc.wlv.ac.uk/university/scit/modules/mm2217/hanw.htm

(Florence banned Algorist methods in 1299 because they could be falsified). Ref: See above URL

The Antagonism of Commercial Against Monastic Mathematics :    Ref::   http://library.advanced.org/22584/temh1300.htm
    Though Hindu-Arabic, a system of measuring by decimal notation spread among the merchants, mathematicians persevered in Roman (Numerals), a system of measuring . They were churchmen.
    From this times the antagonism of progress against conservativeness appeared.
    This antagonism has been known as the fight between the abacists and the algorists.  The continuance of the antagonism lasted until the algorists finally won  but not until the 1500's.
    The characteristic of the algorists was  calculations, using 0 as a number within Indian - Arabic numeration system and also not to use the Abacus.   At last, Indian calculation spread abroad and  the progress of commerce and industry created a period of prosperity.
    Italy and Spain in 1400's and England, France and Germany in 1700's  used Hindu - Arabic mathematics instead of Roman.

References to Algorists & Abacists in Yahoo: http://ink.yahoo.com/bin/query?p=Abacists&z=2&hc=0&hs=0

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