FORTRAN Benchmarks
Volume Number: 7
Issue Number: 1
Column Tag: Jörg's Folder
Absoft's MacFORTRAN II
By Jörg Langowski, MacTutor Editorial Board
Note: Source code files accompanying article are located on MacTech CD-ROM orsource code disks.
“Two FORTRANS for MPW”
You have read several columns on the FORTRAN compiler by Language Systems,
which for a while was the only one to offer MPW support. Not for long, though; the
creators of the first Fortran compiler for the Macintosh, Absoft Co., were not asleep
and brought out their MPW FORTRAN, first MacFORTRAN/MPW and recently
MacFortran II. A comparison between the two compilers was long overdue, and this
month you will find those long-awaited benchmark figures, together with some insights
into the code produced by the two compilers.
When I read the Whetstone benchmark figures in the Absoft ad, which were above
those of Language Systems’ compiler by more than a factor of two, I was surprised, and
curious to find out how they were able to do this. I asked for a sample copy, which they
kindly provided, together with a corresponding T-Shirt, so that I can now run
advertising for both Language Systems (odd days) and Absoft (even days).
The Absoft MacFORTRAN II package is very easy to set up and use. It comes with a
well-written manual and an installation script for MPW 3.1. The manual is very well
structured and has an extensive index; the documentations of Absoft and LS Fortran
match each other in quality. An extensive set of examples is also provided, showing
standard Fortran programming, toolbox calls, performance analysis and Hypercard
interfacing.
Code optimization
The installation script sets up a menu that allows you to invoke the Commando
interface to the compiler. That interface is almost indispensable; you have a choice
between so many different options that it becomes hard to remember or type in
everything. Most of these options have to do with code optimization. Absoft lets you
switch on or off every available optimization individually. The most important basic