[Info-vax] [OT] Current students apparently can't read Fortran code...

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 4/13/22 18:12, Grant Taylor wrote:
> On 4/13/22 2:10 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> Can't read the latest symbol-based (instead of word-based) language 
>> without lots of study ? Ok, that's a fair thing to say.
> 
> There are a lot of things that can't be done at one point in time or 
> another.  The trick is to learn them so that you can do them.
> 
> I can see how / why an older long out of vogue language can't be read by 
> newer / younger people.  But that ignorance, as in lack of knowledge, 
> doesn't preclude people from learning.
> 
> There is a point in every person's life when they can't read their 
> native language.  They must learn it.  This is the natural order of things.
> 
>> But Fortran ??? Wow.
> 
> ~shrug~  out of vogue language

I would be more inclined to think the story is bs.  Fortran is a
trivial language. Took me all of about three days to learn it
(on an IBM Mainframe) back in 1980.  You might not be able to
understand the task being done but the flow and function of the
the program would not be difficult.

bill