Re: Converting fixed-to-free format

Joe Krahn wrote:
As part of my argument against continuing to support fixed format and
other historical left-overs in the context of adding new features for
F2003 and beyond, I am wondering why we don't just have a really good
fixed-to-free format converter that also fixes up some obsolete
extensions/syntax?

If it's done well enough, it could provide an easy way to 'modernize'
all the old code, and could even deal with some things that people are
having to fix manually like REAL X(1). Then we could think about the
future of Fortran without worrying so much about billions of lines of
old code.

Well, I've recommended that many times in the past. Anyone
wishing to use the old language features could use the preprocessor
as a filter on their new compiler. The extent to which compilers
already operate by turning features (usually new ones) into
other features (usually old ones) in order to simplify processing
demonstrates that users can't tell. Still, it would only be worth
it if the features being left out *really* simplify the language
or if their absence paves the way for new features that are inherently
contradictory to the old ones.

--
J. Giles

"I conclude that there are two ways of constructing a software
design: One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously
no deficiencies and the other way is to make it so complicated
that there are no obvious deficiencies." -- C. A. R. Hoare


.

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