Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ames!umd5!uvaarpa!virginia!dale.acc.Virginia.EDU!mlj8e
From: mlj8e@dale.acc.Virginia.EDU (Michael L. Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Why FORTRAN
Message-ID: <784@virginia.acc.virginia.edu>
Date: 18 Apr 88 14:24:37 GMT
Sender: acc@virginia.acc.virginia.edu
Reply-To: mlj8e@dale.acc.Virginia.EDU (Michael L. Johnson)
Organization: Academic Computing Center, University of Va.
Lines: 36

In a recent article I was suggested that the most important 
consideration when deciding on a computer language should be
effeciency.  As a user, instead of a compiler writer I do not
agree with this.  
 
As a scientist I am called upon to use my programs on a number
of computers.  Currently as the University of Virginia we use
the following computers: CDC-855, Prime, AT&T 3B's, Sun's,
Silicon Graphics, Convex, VAX-UNIX, VAX-VMS, PDP-11-UNIX, and
PDP-11-nonUNIX.  In any day/week I may use any or all of these
computers to run my programs.  I am therefore interested in 
developing computer programs will will run on all of these
computers with little, or no, changes.
 
Sure, we want a language which will run our programs fast.
However, a few percent increase in speed is not worth translating
these programs to a different language. If we get a program in
BASIC we would never consider translating it to another language,
we would find a computer which will run the BASIC program and use
it as is.
 
I would speculate that the only computer language which is available
on the above list of computers in a reasonably compatible form
is FORTRAN-77.
 
Please note that we are interested in using the computer as a tool,
as as such we just want the programs to run correctly.  We do not
care, too much, if our program is written in the latest greatest
language.  It is the answer and the minimum amount of our time
required to get said answer which are important to us.  We do not
care about which language is better for a particular computer.
 
(804)-924-2496                   Michael L. Johnson
mlj8e@virginia.EDU               Pharmacology Dept.
uunet!virginia!mlj8e             Box 448; Univ. of Va.
mlj8e@virginia.BITNET            Charlottesville, Va. 22908