ABSTRACT

Fortran is a world-standard computer programming language approved under the auspices of the International Standards Organization (ISO). It is the leading language for scientific computing and it is an evolving language that has existed for over 40 years in various forms. Fortran 90 replaced FORTRAN 77 a few years ago, and in turn is being replaced now by the latest version, Fortran 95. Fortran’s evolution has been the key to its longevity: it has developed in response to progress in computer architecture and to new insights in programming language theory, it has been used for solving an increasingly broad range of problems, and it will certainly continue to develop in the future to enable computer users to take full advantage of innovations to come. Fortran 90 was accepted as an international standard by ISO in 1991 and it was a major expansion of the earlier FORTRAN 77. At the time of writing,

Fortran 95 is expected to gain final ISO approval in mid-1996. Fortran 95 will be a relatively minor revision of Fortran 90 and most programs written in. Fortran 95 will appear very similar to those in Fortran 90. This book can be used equally well for Fortran 90 as for Fortran 95. The next major revision of Fortran, expected to take place very early in the next century, is already being contemplated and is termed “Fortran 2000” or “f2k”.