[RFC] Removal of Fortran from the base system

[Garance A Drosehn]

At 9:12 PM -0700 5/26/06, Lyndon Nerenberg wrote:
>On May 26, 2006, at 8:53 PM, Peter Jeremy wrote:
>
>>- Nothing in the base system depends on FORTRAN.
>
>I'm sure you could make that argument for half of
>the programs in /usr/bin.

None of which are being imported from some separate
project (e.g.: the gcc folks), and none of which will
slow down the import of the vendor version of some
component that the base system most certainly does
need ("gcc").

>I don't have a problem with unbundling per-se.  I do
>have a problem with the totally specious arguments
>that have been put forth so far to justify Fortran's
>removal.  If there are real reasons for it, let's hear
>them.

Because it will get in the way of the gcc import.  And
yes, since I work at RPI I do know that a lot of people
still use fortran.  One of the guys who works here in
the computer center wrote a book on fortran for engineers
("Classical Fortran"), and it still sells.  But the fact
that fortran is useful does not mean it must be in the
base system.

Given that fortran is in a state of flux in the gcc
world, I expect that fortran users will be better
served by a port which can be updated when fortran
needs to be updated, instead of being stuck with a
version that will only be updated when gcc needs to
be updated.

This message is all the paint that I'm going to put on
this particular bikeshed.  I am merely stating my own
personal opinion on this, and have no intention of
getting into a debate.

-- 
Garance Alistair Drosehn     =               drosehn at rpi.edu
Senior Systems Programmer               or   gad at FreeBSD.org
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute;             Troy, NY;  USA