9 RATFOR

“RATFOR” stands for “RATIONAL FORTRAN.” It endows FORTRAN with a C-like syntax. Certain loop and other constructions (such as ‘switch’ or ‘i++’) that are not allowed in FORTRAN are allowed in RATFOR; FWEB translates those into proper FORTRAN.

Although RATFOR is a definite improvement over FORTRAN, it certainly does not have the power of C (e.g., elegant pointer notation) or C++ (e.g., classes). Many advantages accrue by taking the time to learn C. RATFOR offers a gentle transition. (It is not supported very actively any more.)