Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!brainerd
From: brainerd@unmvax.unm.edu (Walt Brainerd)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran
Subject: ERR= and END=
Message-ID: <2291@unmvax.unm.edu>
Date: 24 Feb 89 23:58:49 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of New Mexico at Albuquerque
Lines: 13

In a recent posting, Bill Leonard stated that under certain circumstances
involving errors and end-of-file conditions, the processor is required
to terminate execution of the program.  This is true, BUT, there is nothing
to prevent the processor from starting up again one nanosecond later
at any point in the program the implementor chooses.  Thus, from a very
legalistic point of view, it would be my opinion that a processor
that branched (or did most anything else) would NOT violate the standard.
This is an area where reasonableness is enforced by the marketplace,
not the standard itself.

Similarly, a processor that gives an error message when a divide by zero
(forbidden by the standard) is not in violation of the standard,
but is providing an extension to the standard.