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From: schuler@gondor.UUCP (David W. Schuler)
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Re: WAT, exactly, is WATFIV?
Message-ID: <1804@gondor.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Sep-85 11:59:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: gondor.1804
Posted: Fri Sep 20 11:59:37 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Sep-85 12:02:50 EDT
References: <30830@lanl.ARPA>
Distribution: net
Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ.
Lines: 45

> My daughter is enrolled in a computer class that is teaching WATFIV.
> Questions:
> 
> Is WATFIV a FORTRAN preprocessor or a directly compiled language?

It is a fortran compiler that is a compile and go type.  It allows modules
to be called and linked, but it is messy.  It does NOT preprocess code
to be sent to a normal fortran processor (compiler).

> Is WATFIV a commercial product or public domain?

Watfiv is (was) written at the University of Waterloo in Canada.  It is
distributed (I believe) as a commercial product.  Some fortrans say that
they are WATFIV LIKE, but they are NOT true WATIFV.

> Can I get WATFIV in a form suitable for running under CP/M-80?

Probably not from Waterloo, but some look-alikes do exist.

> (If, for instance, it is a preprocessor, and, I can get Fortran source
> code for it, I can compile it with Microsoft's Fortran 80.)

NO, see above.

As a side note, we have been using WATFIV here at Penn State University for
many years.  It is a good fortran for learning programming, but it also has
some shortcomings.  Overall, it is rather easy to move to a fortran like
the IBM VS Fortran after having used WATFIV.  However, some of the un-
formatted read/write, and do-loops act differently under each.  BE careful.

If anyone has any other questions, please use E-mail to continue this.
I will post to the net if there are enough questions.

-- 
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David W. Schuler           {akgua,allegra,ihnp4}!psuvax1!psuvaxg!schuler
Penn State University      schuler@psuvax1.bitnet
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