At 7/30/99 at 02:30 AM, <ALFRED.H.BALCH@stl.Monsanto.com> wrote:
Am I better off getting a copy of the Watcom compiler than a compiler that
will be continued-e.g. Microsoft ?
The Microsoft Fortran compiler was discontinued years ago, so that would be
a poor choice. During its existence, I saw frequent complaints of its
bugginess and lack of conformance to the Fortran standard.
The Watcom compiler was a good one, but it was FORTRAN (77), an older
version of the language, and thus lacked most of the interesting features
of modern Fortran (95), the most notable in the context of S being
intrinsic array operations. I would not recommend that *anyone* purchase a
FORTRAN 77 compiler anymore.
Many fine, modern, Fortran (95)-standard-conforming compilers are available
for the PC, and most, if not all, will make DLL's. For a survey of them,
you could consult
http://www.polyhedron.com/
I use the Lahey compiler, which does not depend on a huge GUI IDE
(integrated development environment) and is available inexpensively.
www.lahey.com
The other compilers also have plenty of satisfied users, according to
recent postings on comp.lang.fortran.
--
Michael Prager <Mike.Prager@noaa.gov>
NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research
Beaufort, North Carolina 28516 USA
Standard Disclaimers: Opinions expressed here are personal
and are not otherwise represented. Any use of tradenames
in the above does not constitute a NOAA endorsement.
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