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From: elt@astrovax.UUCP (Ed Turner)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: RE: UNIX for physicists (attn:finn)
Message-ID: <374@astrovax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Jun-84 10:47:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: astrovax.374
Posted: Tue Jun 12 10:47:25 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 13-Jun-84 00:48:38 EDT
References: <90@utastro.UUCP>
Organization: Princeton Univ. Astrophysics
Lines: 27

Our site has also suffered heavily from the unspeakably disgraceful f77
compiler supplied with Berkeley UNIX 4.2.  It would be difficult to 
adequately describe how bad this compiler is or how treacherous some of
the bugs uncovered here are.  Nevertheless, I am loath to give up (or advise
others to give up) the advantages of UNIX just to get a decent FORTRAN
compiler.

The best solution, in my opinion, is to switch to C thus getting a good
compiler and a superior language; to the extent that the new f77 compiler
motivates people to do this, it may be a good thing.  Incidentally, the
advantage to a physical scientist of a computer language superior to
FORTRAN is analogus to the advantages of a superior mathematical notation.
It allows one to do calculations which are more complex, reliable, 
transparent, and flexible with a given amount of effort.  Many object to
having to learn a new language, but few would try to do General Relativity
with scalar calculus to avoid learning tensor calculus, to take a rather
extreme comparison.

Of course, switching to C cannot be the whole solution given the existence
of enormous amounts of useful FORTRAN code, portability requirements, and
the fact that some people simply won't switch.  There must be a substantial
amount of money to be made by producing a first class FORTRAN compiler that
runs under 4.2.  Surely someone is working on this.  Does anyone know
anything about this?  Please let me know.

Ed Turner
astrovax!elt