About the Fortran category

Welcome to the Fortran category. This is a space to ask any Fortran questions, discuss exercises from the Exercism Fortran track, or explore any other Fortran-related conversations!

Hi Erik,

I’ve recently shown my mother (a retired phisics teacher) who’s 80 that I was trying the Fortran challenge for 12in23* and she loved it. She used to code Fortran using those punctured cards in the 60’s.

I made her an exercism user (I believe is @ana-rahme or something like this) and she got excited we would do some Fortran together, but then I realized I was already having some pain in that track.

Do you intend to have a low-grade ramp for less agile learners? A learning track or some easier initial exercises would do.

  • by my side I had to learn a bit for a reserach project in college during in the 90’s.

That is wonderful to hear, and you are not the only parent/child pair to register here.

Your mother, if she is wanting to mentor you on these, can receive a private mentoring link from you, so that she can assist, and you can work these together.

The learning track is something that does exist for other languages, and if some people were wanting to do the same for the track, then it can happen. But it is by volunteer, and so there has to be interest and motivation to make that happen.

If you are having some problems, though, you have found the right category to post questions, and have those discussions.

Who knows, these discussions may end up being the catalyst and a starting point for that learning ramp up that you are looking for!

Thanks so much for your answer!

I’d happily help on that if I was capable. I have the feeling that, such as Feynman did, you can only truly learn when you are capable of teaching in simple terms, such as a vade-mecum style (‘come with me’ or ‘bringing by hand’).

Buuuuuuut… I still haven’t learnt it. I (barely) used a specific FORTRAN flavour, back in the day and the modern version seems to have many new features. So much I couldn’t pass the first challenges.

I’m currently dedicated to learn WASM/WAT for this month’s challenge in 12in23. But as soon as I get up-to-date I’m coming back to FORTRAN (and Raku and C++ to close the yoear-long challenge). Hopefully with my special elder mommy. :smiley: