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From: ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc,net.lang.f77
Subject: Re: stupid problem in fortran
Message-ID: <3688@alice.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-May-85 11:08:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: alice.3688
Posted: Fri May  3 11:08:37 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 4-May-85 01:50:09 EDT
References: <17@denelvx.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
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Xref: watmath net.micro.pc:3850 net.lang.f77:279

> Sure that is the rule, but if it is a rule, then let the compiler actually
> come out and tell me I am breaking the rules. The latest release (1.4) does
> tell me I am breaking the rules, version 1.3 does not. DEC fortran 77 on
> tops 10 does not tell me anything, but it does it right!

That's not the spirit of Fortran.

Less flippantly, it is impossible in general to determine whether
a given character assignment might have overlapping problems.
For a compiler to do it "right" would mean that it would have to
use temporary memory (and slow things down thereby) whenever there
was the possibility of overlap.  This would penalize some programs
that conform to the standard to help other programs that do not.