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Book Description

Professional Programmer’s Guide to Fortran 77 by Clive G. Page is a timeless manual for anyone dealing with numerical applications in Fortran. Written with clarity and packed with practical insights, this guide covers everything from the basics of Fortran’s history to advanced coding techniques. The author keeps things concise yet comprehensive, making it ideal for both beginners and experienced programmers who want a quick reference or an in-depth understanding of Fortran 77.

Book Overview

This book traces the evolution of Fortran, explains its strengths, and doesn’t shy away from its weaknesses. You’ll learn about the language’s origins at IBM in the 1950s, how it became the world’s most popular scientific programming language, and why it’s still relevant today for legacy code and scientific computation. The guide covers all aspects of the ANSI and ISO standards for Fortran 77, including features often skipped in larger textbooks.

Page’s approach is refreshingly practicalhe omits outdated features from the main text but provides a special section for those stuck with older codebases. You’ll find plenty of tips on writing robust, portable, and clear code throughout.

Why Read This Book

If you’re maintaining or modernizing scientific software, you’ll appreciate how this book balances theory with real-world advice. It’s not just a dry specificationit’s filled with guidance on avoiding common pitfalls and making your code future-proof. Even though newer languages have emerged, many researchers and engineers still encounter Fortran 77 in their work.

The book’s brevity is a plusit respects your time while delivering all the essentials. Plus, if you enjoy a bit of programming nostalgia (or need to decipher ancient code), this guide delivers just what you need.

Who This Book Is For

This guide is perfect for scientists, engineers, students, and professional programmers who work with numerical or legacy software. If you’re taking over an old project or need to understand how classic algorithms were implemented, this book will save you hours of frustration. It’s also a great reference for educators teaching the foundations of computer science through historical languages like Fortran.

Those coming from other programming backgrounds will find its structured approach helpfulespecially if you’ve used languages like COBOL (see Opencobol Programmer’s Guide) or Ada.

What You Will Learn

• The history and evolution of Fortran as a programming language
• Key differences between full and subset Fortran
• How to write portable, reliable, and well-structured Fortran 77 code
• The complete ANSI/ISO standard featuresincluding advanced topics
• Best practices for developing clear code and avoiding obsolete features
• Input/output handling, data types, arrays, loops, procedures, and common blocks
• How to handle legacy code using deprecated language features
• Tips on transitioning from Fortran 77 to modern standards like Fortran 90

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