hedley@wnre.aecl.CDN (Bruce Hedley) (07/08/87)
The following message was originally sent directly to Henk Davids
at Philips Medical Systems Division in Eindhoven, Nederlands, in response
to a query concerning experience with 'lint removers' and large software
packages. Henk suggested that I post it to the INFO-VAX network so that
any interested parties.......
So here 'tis.
=========================<Message starts>===================================
From: Bruce Hedley <hedley@wnre.aecl.cdn>
To: <mcvax!philmds!philtis!hd@seismo.css.gov> [confirm]
Subject: VMS Lint
I evaluated FORTRAN-lint from IPT Corp. for our Computer
Centre staff about six weeks ago, on a FORTRAN code of approximately
150 000 lines. The lint program was relatively straightforward to use,
and the output, although voluminous (we had most of the output switches
turned on), was fairly easy to follow. I should add that this was, I
believe, v.2.03 of FORTRAN-lint.
Several problems were noted:
1 - An inability to treat labelled COMMON as a vector when a COMMON
item was passed to a subroutine as an argument (usually for
presetting or copying a region of memory)
2 - An error resolving a system service reference (SYS$QIOW), although
other sys-services are used in the code
3 - lint had problems with intrinsic/generic function references within
parentheses (also in 'balancing' the parentheses)
4 - lint had problems handling nested functions, i.e. LOG10(SQRT(MAX(A1,A2)))
5 - lint had problems with scalars in the middle of complicated statements,
it would flag them as an illegal variable name
Several GOOD things happened as well:
1 - lint noted some COMMON conflicts that we didn't know about
2 - lint noted a couple of instances of subroutine calls and dummy argument
lists not matching in number and type
3 - lint highlighted many, many cases of variables referenced but not
defined
4 - lint flagged unused variables, formats, dead code, etc.
I have talked to IPT's national sales manager, John Dee, telephone
(415)-494-7500, several times in the past few weeks. They are now up to,
I believe, release 2.10 of FORTRAN-lint. They have resolved all the
difficulties I had, except for items 1 & 2. I have sent them the actual code
and lint output which shows the problem, as they frankly didn't believe me.
Certainly I have to say that they are pretty responsive and want to please
the customer.
FORTRAN-lint costs in the neighbourhood of US $4500 (until July 31st
I think). For anyone interested in getting more info on FORTRAN-lint (C-lint,
etc.,etc.), contact:
John Dee
Information Processing Techniques Corporation
1096 E Meadow Circle
Palo Alto, California,
U.S. of A. 94303
(No, this isn't an ad for IPT, I just think it's a useful tool.....)
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Bruce Hedley | Erwin Schrodinger on
Thermalhydraulics Branch | quantum mechanics:
Atomic Energy of CANADA Limited |
Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment | "I don't like it, and I'm
Pinawa, Manitoba, CANADA R0E 1L0 | sorry I ever had anything
(204)-753-2311 X 2700 | to do with it!"
<hedley@wnre.aecl.cdn> |
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