Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!beta!a!jkw
From: jkw@a.UUCP (Jay Wooten)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran
Subject: Re: Fortran 88
Message-ID: <339@a.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Oct-87 12:50:19 EST
Article-I.D.: a.339
Posted: Wed Oct 28 12:50:19 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Oct-87 08:59:30 EST
References: <780@unrvax.UUCP>
Organization: Los Alamos Natl Lab, Los Alamos, N.M.
Lines: 21
Summary: Not so fast...

In article <780@unrvax.UUCP>, doon@unrvax.UUCP (Harry W Reed) writes:
> 
> Hi,
> 	I've heard that Fortran-88 is about to debut. Could somebody
> tell me about this new-and-improved Fortran or where I may read about it?

The FORTRAN 8X proposed standard has been in the works for several years
and is still far from approval by ANSI, much less available as a real
compiler from any vendor.  Many vendors oppose the latest 8X proposal
because it is a major change (33 new statements, 14 "decremented" statements).
Some say that it really is a new language because it is so far removed from
F77.

For more info on the debate and f8X's current status, see pp. 22-28 of the
October 15 DATAMATION magazine.

Probably about as close to F8X as you'll come for a while is the VMS FORTRAN
compiler which has many extensions which are similar to some of those proposed
for 8X.

	   Jay Wooten  Los Alamos National Lab  ARPA: jkw@lanl.gov