FORTRAN
FORTRAN
Pronunciation
/ˈfɔːrtræn/
FOR - /fɔːr/
TRAN - /træn/
Word Form Variations
FORTRAN is a proper noun, so it does not have standard singular or plural forms. However, it can be used in a possessive form:
FORTRAN's (e.g., "FORTRAN's syntax is a bit different.")
It is also sometimes seen in a hyphenated adjective form, though this is less common today:
FORTRAN-based (e.g., "a FORTRAN-based application")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A high-level, general-purpose, and procedural programming language, primarily used for scientific and numerical computation. FORTRAN is a portmanteau of "Formula Translation" and is considered one of the oldest programming languages still in use.
Synonyms: programming language, coding language, scientific computing language
Antonyms: (None, as it is a proper noun)
Examples of Use
Books
In "The C Programming Language" by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, the authors discuss the influence of languages like FORTRAN on the development of C, particularly in the handling of arrays and pointers.
"Numerical Recipes: The Art of Scientific Computing" frequently uses FORTRAN as a basis for its example code, demonstrating how to implement various algorithms for scientific and mathematical problems.
Online Publications
A Wired article from March 2021 titled "The 7 Most Influential Programming Languages Ever" included FORTRAN in its list, noting its enduring legacy in scientific computing and high-performance applications.
An article on the website Ars Technica from October 2023 discussed how modern scientific projects, such as climate modeling and astrophysics simulations, still rely on a mix of FORTRAN and newer languages like Python and C++.
General Public Discourse
In discussions on online forums like Reddit or Stack Overflow, a common thread involves a programmer asking for help with a legacy FORTRAN codebase they inherited.
Academic papers and conference presentations on computational science often mention FORTRAN as a foundational tool for certain types of simulations and data analysis.
Entertainment
A computer-generated short film about the history of computing might mention FORTRAN as a key innovation in the early days of programming, showing its impact on everything from space travel to weather forecasting.
A documentary about the Apollo space program might include a segment explaining how FORTRAN was used to write some of the software for the guidance and navigation systems.
10 Famous Quotes Using FORTRAN
"FORTRAN is not a flower but a weed—it is hardy, occasionally blooms, and grows in every computer." — Alan Perlis
"FORTRAN, the infantile disorder, by now nearly 20 years old, is hopelessly inadequate for whatever computer application you have in mind today: it is now too clumsy, too risky, and too expensive to use." — Edsger W. Dijkstra
"I don't know what the programming language of the year 2000 will look like, but I know it will be called FORTRAN." — Edsger W. Dijkstra
"FORTRAN was the language of choice for the same reason that three-legged races are popular." — Ken Thompson
"Consistently separating words by spaces became a general custom about the tenth century A.D., and lasted until about 1957, when FORTRAN abandoned the practice." — Sun FORTRAN Reference Manual
"You can create bad FORTRAN in any language." — Attributed to various sources, reflecting a common sentiment in programming culture.
"FORTRAN's tragic fate has been its wide acceptance, mentally chaining thousands and thousands of programmers to our past mistakes." — Edsger W. Dijkstra
"In the good old days physicists repeated each other's experiments, just to be sure. Today they stick to FORTRAN, so that they can share each other's programs, bugs included." — Edsger W. Dijkstra
"Real Programmers do List Processing in FORTRAN." — Ed Post, Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal
"Much of my work has come from being lazy. I didn't like writing programs, and so, when I was working on the IBM 701, writing programs for computing missile trajectories, I started work on a programming system to make it easier to write programs." — John Backus (When asked about his motivation for creating FORTRAN.)
Etymology
The word FORTRAN is a great example of a portmanteau, which is a word that combines the sounds and meanings of two other words. It comes from "FORmula TRANslation."
First Known Use: The term was first used in 1957.
Original Meaning: The name was chosen to describe the programming language's primary function: to "translate" mathematical formulas into machine code that a computer could understand and execute. At the time, this was a revolutionary idea. Before FORTRAN, programmers had to write instructions in low-level assembly language, which was tedious and complex. FORTRAN was designed to be much easier to use, allowing scientists and engineers to write programs using a syntax that was closer to standard mathematical notation.
Phrases + Idioms Containing FORTRAN
"Real programmers write FORTRAN": This is a tongue-in-cheek phrase from the classic "Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal" essay by Ed Post. It's an idiom used to humorously suggest that "real" or "old-school" programmers use classic, powerful, and sometimes difficult languages like FORTRAN, as opposed to newer, more user-friendly ones.
"The FORTRAN mentality": This phrase refers to a programming style or way of thinking that is characteristic of older, procedural languages. It implies a focus on explicit, step-by-step instructions and a less object-oriented approach to problem-solving.
"FORTRAN programmer's nightmare": A jocular expression used among programmers to describe a particularly complex or messy code issue, especially one involving arrays or memory management, that would be challenging to debug in a language like FORTRAN.
"It's like translating FORTRAN to COBOL": An idiom used to describe a task that is incredibly difficult or pointless because the source and target are both complex and fundamentally different, requiring a huge amount of effort for little gain.
"A modern FORTRAN-esque approach": This phrase is used in technical discussions to describe a design choice in a new language or system that, while using modern syntax, still retains the numerical or array-based efficiency principles of the original FORTRAN.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of FORTRAN from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
