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From: jot@drydock.cray.com (Otto Tennant)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran
Subject: Re: What is the FORTRAN for ?
Keywords: FORTRAN, stupidity
Message-ID: <7404@drydock.cray.com>
Date: 26 Jul 90 00:08:30 GMT
References: <1990Jul25.174153.16896@ecn.purdue.edu> <14448@lambda.UUCP>
Organization: Cray Research Inc. - Mendota Heights, Minnesota
Lines: 14

One of the key facctors is multi-dimensional array processing.
In many languages, a multi-dimensional array is not a "first-class"
object.  Instead, a two dimensional array is a vector of vectors,
and so on.

This means that there is a preferred direction for vecttorization.

Of course, in principle, any well-defined computation can be compiled
into efficient code (vectorized, autotasked (TM), or whatever.)
On the other hand, for certain computations, Fortran expresses the
computation more clearly for the purposes of the compiler.

(I am *not* a compiler expert.  Flames, or at least educational
corrections, are welcome.)