bernhold@red8 (David E. Bernholdt) (06/07/91)
In article <4078@ssc-bee.ssc-vax.UUCP> carroll@ssc-vax.UUCP (Jeff Carroll) writes: >In article <14612@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> wsb@boise.Eng.Sun.COM (Walt Brainerd) writes: >>In article <28962@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>, bernhold@red8 (David E. Bernholdt) writes: >>> I strongly recommend >>> Harry Katzan, Jr., Fortran77, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1978. >> >>I reviewed this book (Computing Reviews) when it came out and there >>was a factual error about the language (not just a typo) on about >>every page. > >Yeah. I was a little surprised to see someone recommending Katzan. I haven't >read the fortran book, but his book on operating systems was entirely >IBM-centric, utterly vague, and worse than useless. (Knowing very little >about the IBM world, I can't vouch for the correctness of his facts.) Katzan's Fortran77 is not biased toward any machine at all -- it is just an exposition for the standard language, no extensions or anything. This is probably the biggest reason while I like it. When I picked it up, I knew how to _program_, but I didn't know _Fortran_, so I could never stomach the usual Fortran textbooks. I still think its a good buy as a reference. And since its only about the standard language, without vendor extensions, it is the best thing short of the standard itself which I have seen for helping to steer clear of vendor extensions. I have read Metcalf's "Effective Fortran77" and think it is also quite good, but I wouldn't put exactly in the category of a "reference book" for the language. I don't claim to have the extensive knowledge of the ANSI X3.9-1978 document that Walt Brainerd and others reading this group do, so I won't dispute the remark about factual errors. I will say, however, that I don't think they've ever been significant enough to lead me wrong -- of course maybe I'm just lucky. I usually prefer to check Katzan before I check the standard itself -- more compact, less standard-ese and somewhat more familiar, as I only acquired a copy of the standard a couple years ago. -- David Bernholdt bernhold@qtp.ufl.edu Quantum Theory Project bernhold@ufpine.bitnet University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 904/392 6365