Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site gondor.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!rochester!cmu-cs-pt!cadre!psuvax1!gondor!schuler From: schuler@gondor.UUCP (David W. Schuler) Newsgroups: net.lang Subject: Re: WAT, exactly, is WATFIV? Message-ID: <1804@gondor.UUCP> Date: Fri, 20-Sep-85 11:59:37 EDT Article-I.D.: gondor.1804 Posted: Fri Sep 20 11:59:37 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 25-Sep-85 12:02:50 EDT References: <30830@lanl.ARPA> Distribution: net Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ. Lines: 45 > My daughter is enrolled in a computer class that is teaching WATFIV. > Questions: > > Is WATFIV a FORTRAN preprocessor or a directly compiled language? It is a fortran compiler that is a compile and go type. It allows modules to be called and linked, but it is messy. It does NOT preprocess code to be sent to a normal fortran processor (compiler). > Is WATFIV a commercial product or public domain? Watfiv is (was) written at the University of Waterloo in Canada. It is distributed (I believe) as a commercial product. Some fortrans say that they are WATFIV LIKE, but they are NOT true WATIFV. > Can I get WATFIV in a form suitable for running under CP/M-80? Probably not from Waterloo, but some look-alikes do exist. > (If, for instance, it is a preprocessor, and, I can get Fortran source > code for it, I can compile it with Microsoft's Fortran 80.) NO, see above. As a side note, we have been using WATFIV here at Penn State University for many years. It is a good fortran for learning programming, but it also has some shortcomings. Overall, it is rather easy to move to a fortran like the IBM VS Fortran after having used WATFIV. However, some of the un- formatted read/write, and do-loops act differently under each. BE careful. If anyone has any other questions, please use E-mail to continue this. I will post to the net if there are enough questions. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ David W. Schuler {akgua,allegra,ihnp4}!psuvax1!psuvaxg!schuler Penn State University schuler@psuvax1.bitnet +--+ +--+ + + Home of the 1982 | | | | | 1985 Season 2-0 National Champion +--+ +--+ | | (so far) Nittany Lions | | | | + +--+ +--+ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "...on the loftiest throne in the world we are still sitting only on our own rear." - Montaigne Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com