Fortran Source, Spring 1999

Volume 15, Issue 1
SPRING 1999

FEATURES
LF95 Express
Lahey/Fujitsu Fortran 95 Ships
Fujitsu Announces New Solaris Product Line
Independent Software Vendors Welcomed

DEPARTMENTS
CEO's Letter
News Briefs
  Database Access with f90SQL
  Global Optimizer Available from Lahey
  IMSL Fortran 90 MP Libraries for LF9x Now Shipping
  NAG Libraries Available for LF95
  The Lahey COEX Advantage!
  Standalone Visual Analyzer Released
  SSL2 for Digital Visual Fortran
  Fortran 90 Interface to OpenGl: f90Gl
New ISV Products
Q&A

---

Full Fortran Power for $199!

All the speed and power you need without the complexity. Lahey is pleased to announce the release of Lahey/Fujitsu Fortran 95 Express , our newest Fortran 95 language system. LF95 Express features a simple suite of command-line tools and online documentation for only US$199. LF95 Express includes the following:

• Optimizing Fortran 95 compiler: top-notch performance, including new Pentium Pro optimizations effective on Pentium II and Pentium III computers, plus a full range of VAX, IBM, and POSIX language extensions. LF95 Express supports quad precision and is fully compatible with Visual C++, Visual Basic, and Delphi.
• Linker: from Phar Lap, tried and true.
• Debugger: command-line FDB debugger. Offers a full range of debugging features and rock-solid performance. Fully compatible with Fortran 95 syntax.
• Librarian: build and modify your own code libraries.

LF95 Express is quite simply the best combination of power, reliability, simplicity, and price available.

According to Bob Runyan, president of Lahey, "Scientists and engineers need speed and they need precision. Many have no need of, or patience for, difficult-to-learn integrated development environments, so common on PCs today. They need to get their code up and running quickly, and they need it to perform. LF95 Express is simple to learn, has great optimization and diagnostics, and is a solid language system. For many Fortran programmers, nothing else is needed."

For customers who do need additional tools, a full range of add-on products is available, fully compatible with LF95 Express, including graphics libraries and GUI builders, popular math libraries, automatic FORTRAN 77 to Fortran 90 translation, and analysis tools.

LF95 Express is the ideal product for porting older applications from mainframes or workstations to the PC, particularly if your program has a console I/O interface. If you're moving from a mainframe or workstation environment, you won't have to spend days learning complicated Windows tools. LF95 Express is designed to be simple and powerful.

If all you want is the best compiler for the job, nothing more, nothing less, we've seen nothing that competes with LF95 Express!

---

Lahey/Fujitsu Fortran 95 v5.5 Ships
In addition to the new LF95 Express new versions of LF95 Standard and PRO are now shipping. LF95 PRO v5.5 continues to offer Visual Analyzer, Scientific Subroutine Library 2, Fujitsu C, and free, unlimited telephone tech support. LF95 Standard and PRO v5.5 both offer the following enhancements:

Performance improvements
New Pentium Pro optimizations effective on Pentium II and III computers allow you to take better advantage of the newer Intel chips.

New switches for increased control over how your program is built and executed

• -pca, Protect Constant Arguments
  Use -pca to prevent invoked subprograms from storing into constants.
• -ap, Arithmetic Precision
  Use -ap to guarantee consistency of non-integer operands.
• -pause, Pause Program
  Use -pause to keep a console window from vanishing at program completion. This allows users to view a program's final output.
• -zero, Initialize to Zero
  Use -zero to initialize variables and data areas to zero (if they aren't already initialized by your Fortran code) at program load time.
• -tpp, Target Pentium Pro
  Use -tpp to generate code optimized for the Intel Pentium Pro, Pentium II, Pentium III, and Celeron processors.
• -private, Private
  Use -private to change the default accessibility of module entities from PUBLIC to PRIVATE.
• -cover, Coverage Analysis Information
  Use -cover to generate information for use by the new Coverage Analysis Tool.

New Winteracter Starter Kit (WiSK) and manual

• Exclusive-or plotting is available via a new plot-mode selection routine. This is useful in simple animation and rubber banding applications.
• F77L and EM/32 Video Graphics Library emulation is available to help port legacy Lahey code to LF95.
• Many MenuEd and DialogEd improvements make it easier to create Windows menus and dialogs.
• The size of the Winteracter graphics palette can be specified in 256 color video modes.
• All windows can have a status bar.
• Floating menus are now available. Typically, Windows applications display these in response to a right mouse button click.
• Multiple and Extended selection list box menus are supported. Both of these types allow more than one item to be selected from a menu.
• You can limit the amount of text a user can enter into string fields and combo-box menus. This means more control over what users can enter.

Y2K runtime checking
Use the new Y2K runtime switches to find out if an LF95-generated program uses two-digit date routines.

Debugger enhancements
LF95 PRO and Standard v5.5 now include the Fujitsu Windows Debugger, WinFDB. WinFDB is a standalone Fortran source-level debugger that offers an alternative to the Lahey ED debugger.

Coverage Analysis Tool
Use the new Coverage Analysis Tool to find unexecuted code and test your program's range of operation.

Coverage Analysis showing execution information about the CHISQD procedure
     in LF95's demo program.

Sampler Tool
Use the new Sampler Tool to tune the performance of your program. A particular section of your program may take most of the processing time; tuning that section may greatly increase your program's speed.

      Sampler showing the relative cost of procedures in LF95's demo program. 

You can purchase LF95 PRO, Standard, and Express v5.5 at www.lahey.com. Prices are US$795 for PRO, US$595 for Standard, and US$199 for Express plus shipping.

---

CEO's Letter

G'day Fortran User,
In March I returned from Workshop XV, which I led in Brisbane, Australia. If you have to give a workshop, I recommend Australia, anywhere in Australia — Fair dinkem.

I'm happy to report that Lahey's relationship with Fujitsu is proceeding well. Bugs are being fixed, execution time has been improved for this release and will continue to be, and the two firms are cooperating to decide on the evolution of the Lahey/Fujitsu language systems.

In addition to fixing bugs and the improvements in execution speed in this release, two other advancements are worth noting – admittedly, the first of these is from the past:

1. VA, Visual Analyzer. A question that arises in Session II of the Workshop is how to organize modules, especially in large programs. VA provides the answer. Run the code through VA and VA diagrams the program's calling structure. Using this information, you can organize the procedures into a module from the bottom up.
2. WinFDB, Fujitsu. WinFDB is a standalone Windows Fortran debugger. It solves the debugger problems you have been experiencing. We uncoupled Lahey ED from the debugger (there's a fall back for those of you who prefer things the way they are). We are working on this and are planning that you will see more progress in our October release.

Finally, Joe Chirieleison, Tech Support and roving Lahey Ambassador, reports that in his site visits he impresses Fortran users with the ease of creating a Windows app with LF95. Use the Winteracter Starter Kit (WiSK).

Cheers,

Tom

---

Fujitsu Announces New Solaris Product Line
Fujitsu Software Corporation (FSC), the software development and marketing business unit of Fujitsu Limited, has announced Version 4 of its Fortran and C/C++ Solaris development tools scheduled for release on May 17, 1999. The new features of the Version 4 product line include code generation and optimizations for the V9 SPARC 64-bit architecture (Solaris 7), support for the latest language standards, and faster execution performance across all products. The new product line will be available from Lahey Computer Systems, Inc. after May 17, 1999.

Fujitsu Fortran Product Line
Fujitsu Fortran is fully compliant with Fortran 95 (ISO/IEC 1539-1:1997), Fortran 90 (ISO/IEC 1539:1991), FORTRAN 77 (ANSI X3.9-1978) and FORTRAN 66 (ANSI X3.9-1966) standards. In addition to producing reliable code for which Fujitsu is known, the Fujitsu Fortran compiler creates fast, optimized code for the entire set of SPARC architectures with execution performance improving up to 20% over previous versions. For your Fortran applications that require a large address space, the Fujitsu Fortran compiler can create 64-bit executables. The Fujitsu Fortran product is priced at US$1,300.

Fujitsu C/C++
The Fujitsu C compiler is fully compliant with the ANSI C standard and Kernighan & Ritchie C, while the Fujitsu C++ compiler is fully compliant with the latest C++ standard (ISO/ANSI 14882:1998). In addition to producing dependable code, the Fujitsu C/C++ compilers create code that executes up to 37% faster than previous versions. For your large C or C++ applications that could benefit from a large memory model, the Fujitsu C/C++ compiler can create executables capable of addressing a 64-bit address space. The Fujitsu C/C++ product is priced at US$1,000.

Visual Analyzer
Visual Analyzer rapidly analyzes Fortran, C, and C++ source code structure and program operation to ensure maximum performance of your application. Visual Analyzer allows you to perform static analysis and diagram or chart the call structure and logic flow of your entire application. Additionally, Visual Analyzer displays program metrics including line counts, caller and callee names, actual and dummy argument lists, and complexity metrics. Visual Analyzer for Solaris is priced at US$800.

SSL2
Scientific Subroutine Library (SSL2) is a complete set of fast and accurate mathematical routines for workstation applications. This library of routines contains algorithms that include linear algebra, eigenvalues, eigenvectors, nonlinear equations, extrema, interpolation, approximation, transforms, and ordinary differential equations. SSL2 also takes advantage of the SPARC V9 64-bit environment. SSL2 for Solaris is priced at US$1,500.

---

News Briefs
Database Access with f90SQL
Canaima Software's f90SQL is a library of functions and subroutines that works as an interface between your Fortran programs and the Microsoft Windows Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) API. f90SQL offers a convenient and familiar way to read and write data directly from your Fortran programs to many database and spreadsheet formats, including (but not limited to): Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Access, FoxPro, Paradox, Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix, and Microsoft SQL-Server. As long as the application offers an ODBC interface to its data files, f90SQL lets you read and write data to the native application's format directly from your Fortran programs.

Because they eliminate the need for dealing with DLLs and ODBC-API calling conventions, f90SQL subroutines allow Fortran programmers to use standard Fortran data types and calling conventions for getting data in and out of databases. Fortran programs get direct access to the application's data, eliminating clumsy, time-consuming, and error-prone extraction of data to ASCII files or conversion of data generated by programs into formats of other database applications.

f90SQL adds little overhead to Fortran programs, offering a small memory footprint and good performance. A full manual, with numerous examples, is available to guide programmers step by step through the methods for accessing data from Fortran applications.

f90SQL is available for US$190. Order your copy today from www.lahey.com.

Global Optimizer Available from Lahey
Lipschitz(-Continuous) Global Optimizer (LGO) is an integrated model development and solver system for analyzing complex global optimization (GO) problems. GO is aimed at finding the best solution of nonlinear decision models in the presence of multiple local optima. LGO solves problems under very general structural assumptions, making it possible to solve a broad range of scientific and engineering models. LGO offers a menu-driven Windows interface that fully supports model formulation, solution, and result analysis. Application development is also supported by built-in graphics, help files, and commented sample user files.

LGO comes with a user's guide and free technical support. It is compatible with LF90 and LF95. LGO pricing depends on the size of the problem. For example, a commercial 20-variable, 20-constraint, LGO license for 1 to 5 users costs US$1,195. The same license configuration for an entire university department costs US$695. Other configurations are available.

LGO is developed by János D. Pintér, Ph.D., Pintér Consulting Services. For more information about LGO and related consulting services or to download a demo program, please visit the products area of www.lahey.com or send e-mail to sales@lahey.com.

IMSL Fortran 90 MP Libraries for LF9x Now Shipping
Lahey is now shipping Visual Numerics, Inc. Fortran 90 MP Libraries for use with the LF95, LF90, and Essential LF90 language systems. The library object code has been optimized for use with LF90 and LF95. Preliminary tests show that LF90 runs the Math and Statistics examples an average of 12% faster than DVF v6 and LF95 about 6% faster than DVF v6. The LF90 version of the IMSL libraries is fully compatible with Essential LF90 and even works with the free version of Essential LF90, while still providing the speed people have come to expect from Lahey compilers. The IMSL package includes all libraries, modules, and examples for both LF95 and LF90. The IMSL Fortran MP Library sells for US$300 when purchased at the same time as a new or updated LF95, LF90, or Essential LF90. Visit www.lahey.com to order your copy today.

NAG Libraries Available for LF95
On February 4, 1999, the Numerical Algorithms Group (NAG) released the NAG FORTRAN 77 Library, NAG fl90 (the Fortran 90 library), and NAG FL90plus for Windows 95/98/NT using the Lahey/Fujitsu Fortran 95 language system. These products extend the range of numerical and statistical libraries for PC users.

The NAG FORTRAN 77 Library, now at Mark 18, contains over 1,000 user-callable routines for mathematical and statistical computation. NAG fl90 is the world's first numerical procedure library written in Fortran 90/95. The current release (Release 3) contains over 210 generic user-callable procedures. NAG FL90plus combines both the NAG FORTRAN 77 and fl90 libraries. This provides a convenient mechanism for migration of existing FORTRAN 77 programs to the current, Fortran 95, standard.

The Lahey Advantage!
COEX (Corporate Exxpress) is an annual subscription service providing regular updates to LF95 PRO. COEX takes the worry out of software maintenance and ensures you use the latest version of LF95 PRO. COEX subscribers receive updates automatically. No phone calls, e-mail, faxes, purchase orders, or hassles. Each COEX update contains the most current version of LF95 PRO, including any new or updated manuals. The subscription fee of US$300 covers all shipping and handling. Annual renewal is US$249.

COEX subscription holders receive a10% discount on all LF95 Productivity Tools and Fortran 95 Workshops.

Stay up-to-date. Get COEX!

Standalone Visual Analyzer Released
Visual Analyzer (VA) is now available as a standalone product for Intel-based computers. Visual Analyzer rapidly analyzes Fortran and C source code structure and program operation. Visual Analyzer performs a static analysis of your program and diagrams its call structure and logic flow. It diagnoses problems, shows relationships, and generates statistics across multiple files. VA helps you get old Fortran code up and running on a PC. VA suggested retail price is US$395.

SSL2 for Digital Visual Fortran
The Fujitsu Scientific Subroutine Library (SSL2) is now compatible with Digital Visual Fortran. SSL2 offers over 250 optimized routines in the following areas: linear algebra, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, nonlinear equations, extrema, interpolation and approximation, transforms, numerical differentiation and quadrature, differential equations, special functions, and pseudo random numbers. SSL2 for DVF suggested retail price is US$395.

Fortran 90 Interface to OpenGL: f90gl
OpenGL is a software interface for applications to generate interactive 2-D and 3-D computer graphics independent of operating system, window system, and hardware operations. f90gl is a Fortran 90 interface to the OpenGL libraries. f90gl was developed by William F. Mitchell of the Mathematical and Computational Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology. The Lahey LF9x port of f90gl was implemented by Lawson B. Wakefield of Interactive Software Services Ltd. in the UK. (ISS develops the INTERACTER and Winteracter GUI/graphics Fortran development tools.) By using the new features of Fortran 90, f90gl defines an interface to OpenGL that does not depend on any extensions to the Fortran standard and provides access to the full functionality of OpenGL. The Lahey LF9x port of f90gl is included with LF95 and available for download from www.lahey.com. For complete information on f90gl, visit math.nist.gov/f90gl.

Here are answers to questions users have asked us over the past six months. Remember to check our FAQ page - your answer might be just a mouse click away!

Q: Does Lahey have a "Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure" statement?

A: Yes: "All Lahey Fortran compilers will function properly in the year 2000 and beyond. The compilers don't use 2-digit years in their internal operation. The Lahey compiler you have today will continue to function properly into the 21st century.

"However, Lahey compilers do offer a date subroutine called DATE, which returns the current system date in MM/DD/YY format. If you have code that calls DATE, and that code assumes that the century is 1900, you may have Year 2000 problems. To help, Lahey Fortran 90 issues a warning that DATE doesn't return a 4-digit year.

"Lahey/Fujitsu Fortran 95, Lahey Fortran 90, and Essential Lahey Fortran 90 include the Fortran 95 standard DATE_AND_TIME subroutine. DATE_AND_TIME returns a 4-digit year. We recommend changing all code that uses DATE to use DATE_AND_TIME instead. DATE_AND_TIME is not included with our FORTRAN 77 compiler, EM/32. We recommend that EM/32 owners upgrade to LF95."

Q: I've got some old programs that use the video graphics routines that came with Lahey's F77L and EM/32 compilers. I'd like to move to LF95. Can you help?

A: New routines that emulate the Lahey Video Graphics Library have been added to WiSK in LF95 v5.5. The Lahey Video Graphics Library was shipped with the Lahey F77L and F77L-EM/32 language systems. The emulation routines are supplied in source form (allowing customization) to enable legacy code to be ported to WiSK or Winteracter with the minimum of effort. The following Lahey Video Graphics Library routines are supported: CIRCLE, FACTOR, FILL, GETPIX, GRINFO, GTEXT, ISKEY, IXKEY, NEWPEN, PLOT, PLOTS, SETPIX, and WHERE.

Q: Are the -pca and -ap compiler switches available in LF95?

A: Yes, both -pca and -ap are available in LF95 v5.5. The Protect Constant Arguments switch, -pca, prevents invoked subprograms from storing into constants. For example:

  call sub(5)
  print*,5
  end
  subroutine sub(I)
  i = i + 1
  end

The Arithmetic Precision switch, -ap, guarantees the consistency of REAL and COMPLEX calculations, regardless of optimization level, by not assigning user variables to registers. Consider the following example:

      X = S - T
  2   Y = X - U
      ...
  3   Y = X - U

Specify -ap to choose the memory reference for non-INTEGER operands; that is, registers are reloaded. -ap must be specified when testing for the equality of randomly-generated values. The default, -nap, allows the compiler to take advantage of the current values in registers, with possibly greater accuracy in low-order bits.

Specifying -ap will usually generate slower executables.

In return, your products will be listed in our Compatible Products and Independent Software Vendors Directory at www.lahey.com with e-mail and web site links. The directory also ships on Essential LF90 and LF95 CDs. All new ISV products are featured in this newsletter, Fortran SOURCE. At Lahey User Meetings, we provide space for you to exhibit and promote your products.

For an application or to find out more about the Lahey ISV program, visit www.lahey.com, contact Mike Dato at 775-831-2500 ext. 425, or send e-mail to sales@lahey.com.

fthreads
fthreads is a thread-based library for parallelizing Fortran programs using Lahey Fortran running under WinNT 4. The programmer has such familiar synchronization objects as barriers, events and mutexs. Threads may be grouped into teams, with synchronization objects applying only to threads within a team. fthreads has a trace mechanism allowing the programmer to record the actions of the fthreads library for debugging and tuning. fthreads is written as a Fortran 95 module giving the programmer the benefits of interface checking in the use of the fthreads procedures, and direct access to fthreads constants such as status and error codes.

An fthreads program will run under Windows 9x, but only one thread at a time executes.

A workshop on parallelizing Fortran programs with fthreads is available. Workshop participants bring a program to be parallelized. During the Workshop participants work with the instructor to parallelize their programs. fthreads is compatible with LF95.

Purple Sage Computing Solutions, Inc.
12142 Purple Sage Ct.
Reston, VA 20194-5621
703-471-0684 FAX
dnagle@erols.com
www.erols.com/dnagle

GRAFX
GRAFX is easy to use! If you know Fortran, the GRAFX library and examples provide everything you need to produce graphic displays and files (e.g. .GIF) on your PC. GRAFX is ideal for display of scientific, engineering, and mathematical data by Fortran users who are not computer scientists. Over 50 routines provide a variety of PC screen graphics displays. The GRAFX library is compact and fast. You can use the built-in high-level routines or create your own custom displays using middle- and low-level routines. GRAFX is written entirely in Lahey Fortran 90. Source code is available. GRAFX is compatible with LF95 and LF90.

Ridge Technology
1867 Park Road, N.W.
Washington, DC 20010
202-232-1441
ridgetech@erols.com

Please check www.lahey.com for the latest information on Lahey ISV products. If you are interested in becoming a Lahey ISV or know of a product that should be listed, please contact:

Mike Dato, ISV Coordinator
775-831-2500 ext. 425
775-831-8123 FAX
sales@lahey.com

Help us end waste. Let us know if you change your address, receive duplicate 
copies of Fortran SOURCE, or would like to be removed from our mailing list. 
Call us toll-free at 1-800-548-4778 or send us e-mail at shipping@lahey.com. 

Thank you.