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From: zctsfisher@qut.edu.au
Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran
Subject: The Standard for Fortran 77 (Re: intrinsic)
Message-ID: <1990Dec20.112143.21877@qut.edu.au>
Date: 20 Dec 90 16:21:43 GMT
Organization: Queensland University of Technology
Lines: 43

During the recent discussion on "Intrinsics" I found the number of 
postings quoting other than the actual Standard very disappointing.

The standard for Fortran 77 is of course ANSI X3.9-1978 and this 
standard is easily accessible and clear. It takes only a small effort to 
learn your way around it. There is no need to debate, as this group 
often does, what is in the standard. It is only necessary to read it. 
(There are of course parts of the standard where the meaning of the 
standard is debatable but that is another matter. There is no other 
authority.)

Given the interest in this group in maintaining standards may I urge 
readers to get a copy of the standard, learn your way around it and
do as I do and use it as your reference manual. (It doesn't take long to 
learn to ignore every second page - the little used Subset Language.) 

I only go to compiler supplier's handbooks when I specifically wish to 
do something which cannot be done efficiently in proper Fortran or when 
the compiler appears to be wrong. In the latter case if the different 
interpretation of the compiler is not listed by its supplier as a known 
variation from the standard it should be reported as an error.

The standard may not be the ideal as a learning text so other books 
designed for this purpose have their place but they should be abandoned 
once the basics are learnt.

We can all learn too by occasionally browsing right through the 
standard. It is amazing to discover that facilities exist we have not 
used which overcome supposed deficiencies in the language.

In brief, if you have not read it in the Standard you cannot say 
authoritatively what is Standard no matter what other source you have 
used and we should all strive to be authoritative.

W.J.G.(Bill) FISHER,
Director, Computing Services (Gardens Point),
Queensland University of Technology

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