Should Undergraduates Be Taught Fortran? 3

[FeX32]

True.

Fe

 

[70AARCUDA]

...if you are referring to MILITARY students (Annapolis, West Point, etc.) it might have to be ADA instead of FORTRAN.

 

[IRstuff]

Sorry, even for the military ADA is so 80s.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[transmissiontowers]

I learned FORTRAN IV in 1967 along with a slide rule class and have used the programming principles in some self taught AutoLisp to draw something I wanted to do repetitively. I wrote several structural programs for transmission pole design and a baseplate design program using FORTRAN which required lots of number crunching. In the late 1980's I learned a LISP variant called ICAD that was an artificial intelligence system that ran on a Symbolics computer.

I've used programmable HP calculators and written programs for them (RPN is the best and I can't use an algebraic calculator today).

I think the students should learn some type of procedural language and with the possibility of calling FORTRAN routines from C++, maybe both languages should be taught.

_____________________________________
I have been called "A storehouse of worthless information" many times.

 

[70AARCUDA]

FORTRAN is to programming languages as LATIN is to ENGLISH...a predecessor with much "historical" insight and foundation to pass along to the new student.

...so, learn it, No. Study about it, Yes.

 

[IRstuff]

Well, oddly, there's still a bunch of diehards out there, cranking out BRAND NEW Fortran code. Why? Beats me...

The latest posting in the Fortran forum is some guy wanting to Bessel function evaluations in double precision Fortran...

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[SomptingGuy]

... and the likes of Intel are still working on polishing their Fortran compilers day and night.

- Steve