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Fortran Modernity Debate

The cluster focuses on debates about Fortran's age, legacy status, and evolution into a modern language, with users defending its ongoing relevance and features against outdated perceptions like Fortran 77.

📉 Falling 0.4x Programming Languages
2,357
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#9702
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
4
2008
10
2009
20
2010
38
2011
45
2012
49
2013
67
2014
77
2015
148
2016
138
2017
131
2018
116
2019
184
2020
231
2021
278
2022
202
2023
255
2024
163
2025
191
2026
10

Top Contributors

pklausler (52) pjmlp (33) TheRealKing (28) Bostonian (24) walshemj (22)

Keywords

IT GOTO CPU F90 IBM DO JS FORTRAN NOT OS fortran language compiler old legacy integer 2018 code old news boo

Sample Comments

cozzyd • Nov 8, 2025 • View on HN

Sadly most Fortran I come across has not evolved with the language

ncmncm • Oct 4, 2020 • View on HN

What lessons would you say are left to be drawn from Fortran?

ktpsns • May 31, 2021 • View on HN

Fortran exists, and it is no more your grandfather's Fortran. It's possible to improve old programming languages and invent new ones at the same time :-)

pklausler • Sep 17, 2021 • View on HN

Your concept of Fortran sounds a little out of date to me; have you taken a look at it in the past 31 years?

angrygoat • Jul 9, 2020 • View on HN

I'll see your legacy C/C++ and raise you legacy Fortran 77 :)

donkeybeer • Jul 3, 2025 • View on HN

What's wrong with FORTRAN?

adastra22 • Oct 1, 2024 • View on HN

Fortran is not a legacy language.

mseepgood • Aug 28, 2023 • View on HN

Why would we be talking about FORTRAN 77 in 2023?

TheBozzCL • Jan 13, 2025 • View on HN

lol same kinda vibe as Fortran devs right now

ChuckMcM • Dec 19, 2013 • View on HN

You don't even want to know how old FORTRAN is :-)