[Info-vax] Text processing examples with Fortran requested

[Richard B. Gilbert]

Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
>> Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>> glen herrmannsfeldt wrote:
>>>> Even so, a lot was done in Fortran 66 because that was what
>>>> was available.  Storing one character per INTEGER array element
>>>> was inefficient but usually worked.  
>>>
>>> One - not two or four??
>>
>> If you use two or more, you are faced with the problem of "packing" 
>> and "unpacking" the data.
> 
> A problem but a solveable problem.
> 
>>                     I don't believe that either Fortran II or Fortran 
>>  66 supported a character data type.  "Hollerith literals" were the 
>> best you could do and I don't think they could be used outside of 
>> FORMAT statements.  My copy of "Guide to Fortran Programming" has 
>> vanished in the mists of time along with the later edition, "A Guide 
>> to Fortran IV" programming.  Fortran IV did support a character data 
>> type.
> 
> Standard it did not.
> 
> Arne

Sometimes the standards people needed some time to catch up with 
reality.  VAX Fortran was Fortran IV and my recollection is that it did 
support a character data type.  ISTR that IBM System/360 Fortran also 
supported a character data type in the mid 1980's.

I do recall that programs coded in IBM Fortran needed a little "touching 
up" before it would compile and run on the VAX.

When I got my first VAX I had to port both IBM System/360 Fortran and 
HP's Fortran for the 2100 Series machines to VAX/VMS.  The experience 
taught me to write more portable code!!  I had used non standard 
features simply because they were there; needless to say no OTHER 
Fortran supported an identical set of non standard features.