Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ecsvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!mcnc!ecsvax!dgary
From: dgary@ecsvax.UUCP (D Gary Grady)
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Re: Constants in subroutine calls
Message-ID: <483@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Jan-85 12:59:43 EST
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.483
Posted: Fri Jan 11 12:59:43 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 13-Jan-85 09:20:46 EST
References: <606@spuxll.UUCP>
Organization: Duke U Comp Ctr
Lines: 25

<>
Warning: pathetic apology follows; overly sentimental readers may want
to skip...

WRONG!!  I was WRONG!!!!!  Mea culpa!

I had claimed that existing FORTRAN compilers allow a constant to be
passed as argument to a subprogram without that constant being damaged
if it is modified within the subprogram.  The FORTRAN compiler I used
years ago behaved nicely in that regard.  I have now discovered (by
trying it out) that IBM's current VS FORTRAN compiler DOES allow you to
make 1=2 and other horrors.

I continue to consider that silly behavior.  The runtime overhead of
copying constants into a work area is trivial.  But the fact remains
that I was dead wrong, and wrong due for the simple reason that I fired
off a response because I was "sure" of something before I tested it.  In
the future I will attempt to do better.

I await suggestions for pennance.
-- 
D Gary Grady
Duke U Comp Center, Durham, NC  27706
(919) 684-3695
USENET:  {seismo,decvax,ihnp4,akgua,etc.}!mcnc!ecsvax!dgary