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From: chris@mimsy.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran
Subject: Re: F8X comments
Message-ID: <9581@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Nov-87 23:18:06 EST
Article-I.D.: mimsy.9581
Posted: Mon Nov 30 23:18:06 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 3-Dec-87 23:40:25 EST
References: <50500015@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu> <5774@j.cc.purdue.edu> <402@auvax.UUCP> <253@splut.UUCP>
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 48

>In article <402@auvax.UUCP> rwa@auvax.UUCP (Ross Alexander) writes:
>>[...] Dusty decks can be complied with the *old* compiler; [...]

In article <253@splut.UUCP>, jay@splut.UUCP (Jay Maynard) writes:
>Not necessarily. What happens when the systems supplier, in an example of
>how he's being so forward-looking, decides to drop support of the old
>compiler?

Then you are out of luck: you will have to find support elsewhere,
or change.  What happens now when the systems supplier drops support
of the old machine?  If there is a market, someone else usually
jumps in.

>>Just because someone invents a new language, x, and chooses to call
>>it y.2 where y is a previously existing language, doesn't make any
>>difference to however many gazillions of lines of y code already out there.

>It does for portability

Not so: if the code is written in portable Y, then running it under
any Y compiler/system (as opposed to a Y.2 system) should continue to
work.

>(after all, FORTRAN is more portable than C ever thought about being);

(Hah!  Most useful FORTRAN programs or subroutines require *some*
change or adjustment to be brought from one environment to another:
all those machine-specific constants in the engineering libraries
are a good example.  Due to widespread use, many of these programs
and libraries are carefully written so as to isolate the machine
dependencies.)

>what am I supposed to do with my million lines of code when I need
>to upgrade my ancient, no-longer-supported computer system, and
>the only machines available only support the "new and improved" language?

This is like asking `what do I do with my 1937 Ford now that a part
on it broke and Ford does not make it anymore?'  You find someone
else who supports it, do it yourself, or give up on it, whichever
is most economical and fits your constraints.

If you really believe that losing F77 (or F66) support will be a
problem, write some solutions now: then when the problem occurs
you will be all set to (as a friend of mine would say) make Big
Bucks.
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7690)
Domain:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu	Path:	uunet!mimsy!chris