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From: ir408@sdcc6.UUCP (ir408)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: Microsoft Fortran
Message-ID: <2592@sdcc6.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 10-May-86 20:04:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcc6.2592
Posted: Sat May 10 20:04:40 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 13-May-86 00:42:37 EDT
References: <92@cascade.ARPA> <1958@dalcs.UUCP>
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Academic Computer Center
Lines: 26
Summary: MS-Fortran and HFS


As an active user of MS-Fortran, I have been in touch numerous times
with Absoft technical support, and have been told that they have a patch
for 2.1 to allow it to run under HFS. I have not yet obtained this since 
I am still using 512's at home and work. I have a Mac + on order, and when
that comes in, I will find out. Version 2.2, promised for this summer, will
ostensibly support HFS. The problem is bigger than merely allowing compilation
under HFS; Absoft's implementation of the Fortran OPEN statement is incompatible
with HFS. Programs which I have wriiten and compiled under MFS run fine until
you hit an OPEN statement, then crash. Programs which open files through the
toolbox and manipulate them through paramter block reads work fine in HFS,
however. While this is fine for those of us who are perverse enough to try
to program with the toolbox in Fortran, it is small consolation to the majority
of Fortran users (who probably don't want to learn how to use the operating
system calls on any machine, let alone the Mac). In summary, if you have
MS-Fortran 2.1, don't upgrade to HFS yet unless you are ready to do some major
changes in your file handling. If you have a Mac +, and really need Fortran
you might get in touch with Absoft. Don't bother with Microsoft, they really
don't seem to know the product. I'm sorry that I can't post the number,
but those with persistance can no doubt find it.

Jeff E Mandel MD MS
Department of Anesthesiology
Tulane Medical Center
New Orleans, LA 70112
(you can't get in touch with me by usenet, I'm just here visiting)