corbett@beatnix.UUCP (Bob Corbett) (07/08/89)
The current draft of the Fortran 8x standard is as much a mess as the
previous draft standard. The previous draft looked like a patchwork of
ill-fitting features, and the present draft looks like a patchwork on top
of that patchwork. I cannot see why X3J3 thinks the current draft will be
received any more favorably than the previous draft was.
I think part of the reason the standard has reached the state it is in
is that the public review process encourages reviewers to comment on specific
features of the language. While I believe that attention to specific features
is valuable, I feel it has obscured the larger picture. Therefore, I encourage
those who agree that the current language is a monstrosity to let X3J3 know
that it is the overall design of the language they find disagreeable.
Specific complaints should be listed, but the overriding concern should be
to prod the committee to completely overhaul the language.
Yours very truly,
Bob Corbett
uunet!elxsi!corbett
ucbvax!sun!elxsi!corbett