[Matrix-SIG] Fortran-to-python-interface-generator: looking for opinions

John A. Turner turner@blueskystudios.com
Mon, 30 Aug 1999 11:58:14 -0400 (EDT)


>>>>> "APM" == Andrew P Mullhaupt <amullhau@zen-pharaohs.com> writes:

APM> Keep in mind that Fortran 77 is no longer a standard
APM> language. F90 isn't either. F95 obsoleted them both. Although
APM> compiler vendors are still writing stuff that can compile F77,
APM> some features of F77 actually were obsoleted and more have been
APM> deprecated in F95, and the upcoming F2000 standard may change
APM> some more.
APM>
APM> The way to proceed is to move toward adding F95
APM> compatibility. The interfaces are infinitely cleaner, and many of
APM> the painful issues you will have with F77 will go away.

I am in violent agreement with this sentiment.

The reality is that time-honored legacy F77 like LAPACK will be with
us for a while, but the more quickly people stop writing new code in
F77 the better it will be for everyone.  Modern Fortran is just a far 
superior language.

The fact that there is no open source Fortran compiler (g77 is not a
Fortran compiler, since F95 is Fortran, F77 is not any more) is
unfortunate, but there was no open source F77 compiler for years
either. 

-- 
John A. Turner, Ph.D.                Senior Research Associate
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