On Wed, 13 Dec 1995 15:19:19 EST Brian Baer said:
 
I have been running Microsoft Powerstation on a 16-bit computer since the
compiler was issued and I wouldn't think of going back to DOS compiling.
The DSSAT models CERES, SOYGRO, PNUTGRO, as well as chemical transport models
RZWQM, PRZM, and GLEAMS compile easily and editing is a snap in the
Workstation.  True, you must distribute the extender file with applications,
but the file is distributed free and compiled programs have worked well on
computers without the Fortran compiler.
    As for the future, Microsoft is moving to Fortran 90, rather than 77, as
is in the current Powerstation.  But even the current Powerstation provides
backwards compatability with Fortran 66.  On screen help flags Fortran 77
exensions.  With Fortran 90 our biggest benefit will be in data structures and
direct communication with data bases and spreadsheets.  The power (and unfor-
tunately difficulty) found in Pascal and C data structures and pointers will
be available to help us with larger and more complex models.  Additionally,
Fortran 90, according to the propoganda, "allows the same Fortran source code
to run on a Cray and an 80386."  The Microsoft Powerstation 4.0 will fully
support Fortran 90, but will have full support for Fortran 77 for those who
want to continue programming in 77.  To help move into the Windows world,
The Powerstation also has linkages with Visual C or Visual Basic, so Fortran
code can be called from within a Windows program or linked as a .DLL at
runtime.
                                         Jim Hook
>Hello Everybody --
>
>   Up to now all the Fortran programming we've been doing for the DSSAT
>model has been using Microsoft Fortran version 5.1 for DOS.  This compiler
>has worked well for us and we liked the fact that we could compile one
>program to work on machines with and without math coprocessors.  Recently
>some other people on campus have wanted to work with the source code of the
>CERES models and compile their own changes.  We have recommended that they
>purchase the MS Fortran compiler for a couple of reasons:  1) because it
>works with the Makefiles we have and we can help them if they have problems
>and 2) Microsoft has had very good prices for university costumers.  However
>we have discovered that we can no longer obtain new copies of MS Fortran for
>DOS at least our computer store on campus tell us that Microsoft no longer
>sells it.
>
>   Does anyone know of a source of Microsoft Fortran 5.1 that is still
>selling new copies?  Have other people moved to different brands of Fortran
>to compile pieces of DSSAT?  We have played around with MS PowerStation
>which is not a bad tool, but it does require people to have a 32-bit DOS
>extender on their computer to run the resulting program so you can't just
>someone an .EXE unless you give them the extender as well.  Also suspect
>that Microsoft will not continue to support the Windows 3.x version of
>PowerStation for very long, and I just don't think a great number of the
>people we work with are ready to move to Win95.
>
>   Features we would be looking for in our ideal replacement compiler:
>
>1) Cheap -- when we teach classes or work with students and overseas
>scholars we ask people to buy a legal version of the compiler to use on
>their own machines.  I think in the end we were paying ~US$80 for the
>academic version of MS Fortran V5.1.
>
>2) CoProcessors/Non-CoProcessors support -- While there are less and less
>machines without Math CoProcessors it is nice to be able to support both.
>
>3) Makefile Facilities -- Need to have an easy way to deal with 100+ pieces
>of source code.
>
>4) Fortran 90 capability -- Assume that in a few years we will be moving to
>the 90 standard.  When I looked into this option last year there were no
>good F90 compilers that compiled at a reasonable speed.
>
>5) Capable of makings Window DLL's -- While we are continuing to work with
>the DOS based DSSAT models we are also working on hybrid C/Fortran (and
>maybe someday Visual Basic/Fortran) models under Windows.
>
>Thanks in advance for any ideas people have.
>==============================================================================
>Brian Baer                                                 [log in to unmask]
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