Download fortran

Beginnings: FORTRAN is one of the oldest programming languages, originally developed by John Backus and a team of
programmers working at IBM. It was first released in 1957 and it is an acronym for FORmula TRANslation. It was the first highlevel language and also had the first compiler ever created. Back when it was developed, computer programmers had to program in
machine and/or assembly code. This took much longer than the programming languages we use today. FORTRAN allowed much
more efficient and easier methods than were available which opened the doors for professions besides computer scientists. Most
notable among these professions were engineers and mathematicians, who were now able to use computers to do higher-level
equations and mathematics. This allowed them to focus more on the problem solving aspects, and less with the time-consuming and
often difficult task of coding. This change helped to define the entire history of computers and was a major step towards computers
being useful not just to computer scientists.
The developer of UNIX, Ken Thompson, recalls that “95 percent of the people who programmed in the early years would never
have done it without Fortran.”
Notable Updates/Versions: While there are more versions in it’s
history, these were the most significant ones.
FORTRAN: The first version that was made as a programming tool for
the IBM 704 in 1957.
FORTRAN 66: In the 60s, a standardized version was created by the
American Standards Association to help make it accessible and usable
across multiple types of computers.
FORTRAN 77: This is the most widely used version of FORTRAN. It
was released after other languages started to release features it didn’t
have.
Fortran 90: This was the first version released that didn’t require all
upper case in it’s name. It expanded on 77 and was well liked because
it was compatible with 77, making all the old code accessible.
Uses Today: FORTRAN not only paved the way for other
programming languages, but has and is continuing to be used for a
wide variety of uses from a various professions. Businesses like
banks and insurance companies would use it to build intensive
number crunching programs to assess risk or design actuarial
tables. It’s used in Doppler radar weather forecasts and
atmosphere/ oceanic studies. It’s used for more advanced scientific
purposes like NASA models of climate change or classified
nuclear weapons and laser fusion codes. It’s even used by farmers
to breed the most cost-effective chickens bases on genetic
selection.
FORTRAN
Continued Success and Popularity: While FORTRAN is one of
the oldest programming languages, it has managed to stay relevant
and practical all the way into the modern day. The major reason
for this is it has remained as one of the fastest and most accurate
languages for numeric computation and scientific computing. It’s
main use today if from scientists and mathematicians who use it to
help them solve complex problems and equations. The main
reason for it’s speed is it’s compiler which has been optimized
through it numerous versions put out by different people and
companies. It also has the advantage of over 50 years of code
preprogrammed into it. It has libraries of old code that has been
proven to work and can be added onto as necessary. This can save
a great deal of time because it allows the user to only input the
new information it wants to test out. These libraries are allowed
through the backwards compatibility many of the versions have,
especially the jump from FORTRAN 77 to Fortran 90. Another
factor, it’s language, has helped it since the very beginning. At the
start, it was designed to make it as close to actual mathematics as
possible. Their goal was to make it easy to use, so even if you
didn’t know much about programming you could jump on if you
knew mathematics. They have stuck with this principle throughout
the years only adding language if it helped to make the process
clearer or more efficient.
Middle Picture: An IBM 704 Mainframe
Bottom Left Picture: A photo from 1982 of the
original FORTRAN development team.
References
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http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/05/scientific-computingsfuture-can-any-coding-language-top-a-1950s-behemoth/
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http://www.obliquity.com/computer/fortran/history.html
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http://groups.engin.umd.umich.edu/CIS/course.des/cis400/fortran/f
ortran.html
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http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/fortran/
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http://www.britannica.com/technology/FORTRAN