A constructive exploration of alternate futures for Fortran

From: analyst41 (analyst41_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 03/27/04 

Date: 27 Mar 2004 06:48:20 -0800

Lets agree with James Giles that the phenomenal popularity of
C/C++/Java has little to do with objective merits (assuming I have
understood him correctly).

I have no doubt that f90,f95 etc. are the result of the deliberate
determination of the committee to make objective improvements to
Fortran 77.

But then, if we invoke the converse of Giles's theorem -

True, objective improvments are no guarantee that the improved
language would actually get used to an extent that would constitute
"success".

Perhaps we should explore

(1) What is the user base of Fortran currently and what Fortran are
they using ?

(2) What type of applications are out there right now ?

(3) Is there pressure from PHBs to move to C/C++/Java ?

(4) In the event that the official development path (f90,f95,f2003) is
not for everybody, what is the alternative (subset of the official
fortran or a new language) ?

(5) Is usage in Large Scale Capitalistic enterprises a criterion for
success ?

I would also ask the following critical question and suggest my
answer.

What is the core competence of Fortran that would ensure is indefinite
continued use ?

Ability to set down quantitative relationships between inputs and
outputs in effcient, legible, easily maintanable code. Please note
that this does not necessarily mean "number crunching". Fortran would
be the natural language for the discipline of management science -
optimizing transportation networks, Supply chains,airline crew
scheduling,Revenue Management Financial planning etc.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: destructors in Fortran 03?
    ... > Fortran is two decades behind other computer programming languages. ... I find it amusing you assert that I am the troll, ... addressed various Fortran language issues with reasoned discussion, ... success of Fortan that any futher argument is fruitless. ...
    (comp.lang.fortran)
  • Re: Surprise
    ... haven't seen any Fortran libraries that do that. ... Libraries are a huge part of the reason why one language would be ...
    (comp.lang.fortran)
  • Re: one-liner for characater replacement
    ... convert to another language. ... upgrade to upward compatible versions of the same language. ... Under the above rules of the game, unless the Fortran world announces ...  The user base has not shrunk all that much. ...
    (comp.lang.fortran)
  • Re: interpretive vs. compiled
    ... for specific needs in FORTRAN. ... Nowadays, workstations are also available to engineers, and there's no ... Excel/VBA and much less exposure to programming. ... colleges are wondering what language to use in classes. ...
    (comp.programming)
  • Re: Help from fellow Fortran Users
    ... and Fortran in which he introduced the subject of Pascal, ... Pascal is a useful, high-level, portable language that is easy to use ... Inasmuch as his comments considered extensions for Pascal in the '70s, ... standard differs from ...
    (comp.lang.fortran)