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by punch_card 4060 days ago
I can run Fortran IV code on a modern compiler without change. 2015-1966=48 years. And counting. Ada95 was a very easy transition from Ada83. Pay attention to users ! Backwards compatibility is MANDATORY for a language.
2 comments
thraxil 4060 days ago
Well, that explains why Fortran and Ada are such wildly popular languages today!
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amyjess 4060 days ago
In their communities, they are.

Parts of the scientific community still insist on Fortran, and the DOD still loves Ada.

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gear54rus 4060 days ago
Give me aggressive transition with breaking changes (and a major version), but the one that genuinely improves the language over attempts to maintain compatibility that lead to a stagnant language any day.
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