Re: Help from fellow Fortran Users

From: Walter Spector (w6ws_xthisoutx_at_earthlink.net)
Date: 01/27/04 

Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2004 17:18:51 GMT

Pierre Asselin wrote:
> ...
> I know I'm not making a good case, it's a bit frustrating. I guess
> the big difference between Fortran and other compilable languages
> is that Fortran is truly a high-level language. It leaves a lot
> of latitude to the implementation, including the latitude to optimize
> the sh*t out of the binaries.

Before C came along, Fortran was considered "portable assembler" for
many tasks. Some of us still consider it that.

> .... C was
> targeted at microprocessors...

Actually it was targeted at the PDP-11, which in 1971 was not a
microprocessor.

> ...
> For whatever historical reasons, C is the portable language today,
> and Fortran just ain't.

Both Fortran and C can be very portable - IFF the application developer
WRITES TO THE STANDARD. Most portability problems I've seen are because
either the developer was ignorant of the Standard, defiant to the Standard,
or no Standard even existed (e.g., C/C++ until very recently).

Walt
-...-
Walt Spector
(w6ws at earthlink dot net)

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