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From: jc@riv04.UUCP (J.C. Wippler)
Newsgroups: net.general
Subject: Who has updates on f77 problems ?
Message-ID: <185@riv04.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Jun-84 11:47:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: riv04.185
Posted: Wed Jun 20 11:47:19 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 08:05:52 EDT
Organization: RIVM, Bilthoven, Holland
Lines: 24

F77:
	A number of the applications programs we buy are in Fortran 77.
	Unfortunately, we have some problems with f77 under Unix :

- Arrays of char* can be viewed as 'internal files'. Each array element
  can be read as a record, and the end should deliver 'end-of-file'.
  Some combinations don't work (at least under our V7 and 4.1BSD).
- The mathematical library refuses to generate floating exceptions.
  In cases like 'sqrt(-1)' they always return 0. Is there a reason ?
- There is little input checking when reading floating point numbers.
  It is possible to read a real '1. o 2', it returns 1.2 ...
- Ever heard of 'assigned format statements' ? Some programs depend
  heavily on them. We can't get them going.
- And some more (lesser) problems ...

Who has had similar difficulties, and somehow solved them ? Who is the
author of / supports Unix f77, and especially : how can we reach him ?
Fortran programs may not be your favorite (nor ours), but they keep
showing up, and we don't have the manpower to reinvent everything ...

Any help / suggestions would be greatly appreciated,
						Jean-Claude Wippler
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