Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-sd!hp-sdd!ucsdhub!ucsd!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!microsoft!bobal From: bobal@microsoft.UUCP (Bob Allison) Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran Subject: WG-5 ultimatum, is a FIPS standard uninteresting? Summary: Is Ada reducing gov't demand for FORTRAN? Keywords: FIPS,Ada Message-ID: <140@microsoft.UUCP> Date: 4 Oct 88 23:35:30 GMT References: <838@cernvax.UUCP> <44400024@hcx2> Reply-To: bobal@microsoft.UUCP (Bob Allison (uunet!microsoft!bobal)) Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA Lines: 29 Bill Leonard gives an impassioned argument on why X3J3 should ignore WG-5's ultimatums. Bill then argues that there is really only interest in the ANSI Fortran standard, partially since it is what typically becomes the FIPS standard. But then Bill makes a parenthetical comment which I found thought-provoking. It is interesting to me that Bill makes the comment that since the DoD has finally begun to get serious about Ada recently, interest in a new Fortran FIPS standard will diminish. I don't have the contacts with people who do significant government business. I know that there are people on the net who do: do you agree with this assertion? Don't just fly off the handle, I am asking a serious question: do we expect new contracts with the U.S. Government to require a FIPS Fortran compiler less and less often (and consequently an Ada standard more often)? Under what time scale? Is it already happening? Are people being forced to bid a project assuming the project will be done in Ada? I am not crossposting to comp.lang.ada because I am interested in people who would normally use Fortran who might be forced to use Ada. Bill very correctly points out that economics drives (or kills) the development of a compiler for most vendors, and most have significant interest in government business. Can we expect Fortran to continue its widespread availability if a new standard comes out (eliminating the Fortran 77 standard) and the government doesn't use it very much? Bob Allison