Fortran Wiki
Absoft Afterthoughts
Absoft Fortran Compilers and Debuggers for Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, and Linux
Development started around 1980 and ended on September 30, 2022. A copy of www.absoft.com has been made which includes documentation and installation executables from Version 11 (2014) to Version 22 (2022), but no license keys.
Continuing Bugs and Workarounds for Windows versions (and perhaps others)
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2GB limit. The last bug to be fixed related to arrays larger than 2GB. However other bugs in operations on memory units larger than 2GB remain, even in code compiled for 64-bit execution. For instance, REPEAT (character, count) fails under these conditions.
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Unexplained crashes in the MRWE run-time MDI user interface when clicking on a dialog-box button. A work-around is to insert a WIN32 API call to MessageBoxTimeoutA in the click handler routine. Use it to flash a brief message on the screen, such as “Processing”, which has the effect of preventing the crash.
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Practical Alternative for Windows computers is Intel IFORT Fortran in the Visual Studio environment. This provides a similar GUI to Absoft’s.
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I started Programming in FORTRAN in 1969 and still currently do so in 2024…. I bought an ABSOFT Compiler in the late 1990’s and later bought a newer Version of ABSOFT…. very good Compilers both versions…. I used to submit various questions to ABSOFT and worked directly with Peter Jacobsen on resolving them; not realizing he was one of the Founding Fathers of ABSOFT…. An example of primo Customer Support by ABSOFT…. I have used INTEL Compilers as well and could interchange Code between them with a minimum of Code changes required; I kept Coding as ‘Simple as possible’ with minimal usage of Compiler specific features…..
I’ve used the same ABSOFT Compiler with Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 10, and Windows 11 Operating Systems; but some quirks occasionally emerge….. Some unexplainable ‘Machine Dependent Quirks’ have emerged as well which have been puzzling to resolve….
VIVA LA FORTRAN!!!!