Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!sprocke
From: sprocke@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Orlando Emile Sprockel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Programming in MPW Fortran (Language Systems)
Keywords: MPW Fortran, programming
Message-ID: <25516@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 24 Oct 88 16:46:18 GMT
Organization: Ohio State Computer & Info Science
Lines: 29


Is there anybody out there who is actually doing any serious programming work
in Language Systems' MPW Fortran?  I'm trying to port a package from VAX/VMS
to the Mac, and its a really trying experience.

Just for starters: Any standard terminal I/O *HAS* to be from a default window
generated by the compiler.  It is not possible to redirect I/O from or to 
another window.  I couldn't believe this was true, so I called up Language
Systems, and they confirmed it - Yes, you may not use any other window except
the one we provide by default.  Great.  They also informed me that if I did 
actually want to write to or read from my own window, I would have to write
my own READ and WRITE routines.

The compiler is excellent, but a lack of attention to details pulls it down.

Oh, well... it's still probably the better Fortran compiler around.  I ported
the same package using Absoft MacFortran/020, and while the port went well, 
the compiler is simply too buggy to support any serious work.

-pavi-

pavi@eng.ohio-state.edu
pavi@rcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu

Disclaimer: What do I know, anyway? I'm still programming in FORTRAN...-- 
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