Teach Fortran – and spend a fortune on compilers

There are free Fortran compilers available but in my experience these are not the ones that get used the most for teaching or research and this is because the commercial Fortran compilers tend to be (or at least,they are perceived to be) much better.  The problem is that when you are involved with looking after the software portfolio of a large University (and I am) then no one will agree on what ‘the best’ compiler is.  (Very) roughly paraphrased, here are some comments I have received from Fortran programmers and teachers over the last four years or so.

    When you teach Fortran, you MUST use the NAG Fortran compiler since it is the most standards compliant.  The site license allows students to have it on their own machines which is useful.
    When you teach Fortran, you MUST use the Silverfrost compiler because it supports Windows GUI programming via Clearwin.
    We MUST avoid the Silverfrost compiler for teaching because it is not available on platforms such as Mac and Linux.
    We MUST avoid the NAG compiler for teaching because although it has a great user interface for Windows, it is command line only for Linux and Mac.  This confuses students.
    If we are going to teach Fortran then we simply MUST use the Intel Fortran Compiler.  It’s the best and the fastest.
    We need the Intel Fortran Compiler for research because it is the only one compatible with Abaqus.
    A site license for Absoft Fortran is essential.  It’s the only one that will compile <insert application here> which is essential for my group’s work.
    We should only ever use free Fortran compilers – relying on commercial offerings is wrong.

I’m only getting started!  Choose a compiler, any compiler – I’ll get back to you within the week with an advocate who thinks we should get a site license for it and another who hates it with a passion.  Let’s say you had a blank cheque book and you gave everyone exactly what they wanted – your institution would be spending tens of thousands of pounds on Fortran compilers and you’d still be annoying the free-software advocate.

Needless to say, most people don’t have a blank cheque book.  At Manchester University (my workplace) we support 2 site-wide Fortran compilers

    The NAG Compiler – recommended for teaching.
    The Intel Fortran Compiler – recommended for research

We have a truly unlimited site license for NAG (every student can have a copy on their own machine if they wish) which makes it perfect from a licensing point of view and many people like to use it to teach.  The Widows version has a nice GUI and help system for example – perfect for beginners.  There are Mac and Linux versions too and although these are command-line only, they are better than nothing.

The Intel Fortran Compiler licenses we have are in the form of network licenses and we have a very limited number of these – enough to support the research of every (Windows and Linux) Fortran programmer on campus but nowhere near enough for teaching.  To get enough for teaching would cost a lot.

There are also pockets of usage of various other compilers but nothing on a site-wide basis.

Of course, not everyone is happy with this set-up, and I was only recently on the receiving end of a very nasty email from someone because I had to inform him that we didn’t have the money to buy his compiler of choice.  It’s not my fault that he couldn’t have it (I don’t have a budget and never have had) but he felt that I was due an ear lashing I guess and blamed all of his entire department’s woes on me personally.  Anway, I digress….

The upshot is that Fortran compilers are expensive and no one can agree on which one(s) you should get.  If you get them all to please (almost) everybody then you will be very cash poor and it won’t be long before the C++ guys start knocking on your door to discuss the issue of a commercial C++ compiler or three….