Current limitations and considerations for further improvement

While a prototype package can be download from
http://www.npac.syr.edu/projects/pcrc/f2j.html for interested readers to play with, some more work is needed for the f2j to be truly usable. Besides the following items identified for further work, we plan to incorporate the f2j into a web server, so that a user does not have to download the package. Instead, he submits his FORTRAN program to our f2j server, and it will email him back a Java program.

• Array processing. As mentioned previously, current f2j can only handle arrays within one program unit. We need to implement a scheme that is able to translate arrays as dummy arguments to subprograms.
• GOTO statement was left untouched in current f2j. It seems feasible to convert GOTO effectively, using Java break, continue, and try-catch-finally construct.
• A Java package which is functionally equivalent to FORTRAN intrinsic functions should be constructed, which will surely have a lot to do with class java.lang.Math.
• Although basic I/O statements have been translated, those associated with file operations need to be covered, as well as a reasonable coverage of FORMAT statement.
• BLOCK DATA subprogram is not supported at the moment.
• About argument passing between program units, the current implementation has three problems as discussed previously. They are to be solved.
• The current treatment for COMMON and EQUIVALENCE statements are not general enough. Sequence and storage association issue involved with these two statements is not addressed.