> > So what is the state of exception handling in F2000? I saw some
> > proposals a long time ago, but don't know what happened to them.

> A formal Technical Report has just been adopted. It is

> It is hoped that vendors will implement this as an extension of F95.
> They are promised that it will be part of f2000, modulo any problems
> found during implementation.

A standard-conforming processor must be capable of flagging non-standard
constructs like deleted features, extensions etc.  It would be nice if
all vendors also had a way to differentiate between normal extensions
and deleted features on the one hand and `future features' on the other
(for example, as in F90/STANDARD=F95 with Digital Fortran 90, which 
included all implemented parts of F95 even before the standard was 
ratified). 

Perhaps with the expectation being stated that vendors implement the
minor technical enhancements before the next standard with them comes
out, the next standard should REQUIRE a standard-conforming processor to
differentiate between `good' and `bad' extensions, the latter including
deleted features and `normal' extensions.  (Of course, vendors might
wish to differentiate between deleted standard features and their own
extensions as well, of course, which they can of course do.)

This would certainly encourage folks to use these new features, and in 
turn put pressure on vendors to implement them.

The reason is that many people (like myself) usually have the /STANDARD 
switch on to assure maximum portability.  However, in some sense these 
`officially sanctioned extensions' are in a different category and I 
wouldn't want to have the choice of either not flagging them nor any 
other extensions or flagging everything.


--
Phillip Helbig                          Email ......... [log in to unmask]
Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratories   Tel. .... +44 1477 571 321 (ext. 297)
Jodrell Bank                            Fax ................ +44 1477 571 618
Macclesfield                            Telex ................ 36149 JODREL G
UK-Cheshire SK11 9DL                    Web ... http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~pjh/

My opinions are not necessarily those of NRAL or the University of Manchester.



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