ISO/IEC JTC = 1/SC22

Programming languages, their environments = and system software interfaces

Secretariat: U.S.A. = (ANSI)

ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22 = N3921

TITLE:

SC 22/WG 5 Business Plan/Convener's Report =

DATE ASSIGNED:

2005-08-02

SOURCE:

SC 22/WG 5 Convenor (J. = Reid)

BACKWARD = POINTER:

N/A

DOCUMENT TYPE:

Other document = (Open)

PROJECT NUMBER:

STATUS:

This document will be reviewed at the = upcoming SC 22 Plenary under Agenda Item 8.3.

ACTION = IDENTIFIER:

FYI

DUE DATE:

N/A

DISTRIBUTION:

Text

CROSS = REFERENCE:

DISTRIBUTION = FORM:

Open

Sally = Seitz

ANSI

25 West 43rd = Street

New York, NY 10036

Telephone: (212) = 642-4918

Fax: &n= bsp; (212) 840-2298

Email: sseitz@ansi.org

____________________End of cover page, = beginning of document_______

ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG5 N1632

WG5 Business Plan and Convener's Report to the ISO/IEC = JTC1/SC22 2005 Plenary

PERIOD COVERED BY THIS REPORT: August 2004 to July = 2005.

SUBMITTED BY: John Reid

1 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY

1.1 JTC1/SC22/WG5 Statement of Scope =

The development and maintenance of ISO/IEC Fortran programming = language

standards.

1.2 Project Report

1.2.1 Completed Projects

22.02.01.01 Programming Language Fortran - Part 1: Base = language

The requirements for the revision of the base Fortran = Standard

(IS 1539-1:1997), referred to informally as Fortran 2003, were = agreed

by WG5 at its meeting in Las Vegas, USA, = in February 1997. In

accordance with WG5's agreed strategic policy, the development = of the

draft standard was delegated to INCITS/J3, acting as WG5's = Primary

Development Body.

After rescheduling in 1999, the target date for final = publication

was December 2004 and this was achieved slightly ahead of = schedule.

It was published on Nov 18 as ISO/IEC 1539-1:2004(E) and is in = the

ISO on-line catalogue, price CHF = 340.

The final stages did not run as smoothly as we wished. The DIS, together

with a Disposition of Comments Report from the FCD ballot was = sent to

the Secretariat on 13 May 2004 and she sent it to ISO for DIS = balloting

on 17 May, but the ballot did not commence until 12 July. It = ran to

12 September and it passed 17-0. Two further months delay then = occurred

before publication, during which communication with ISO was = poor. The

editor wished to make 6 purely typographical corrections and = offered to

send a new pdf file. He also wished to correct 7 differences in =

pagination between the DIS and the version with line numbers = (that is

likely to be used exclusively by the committees in preference = to the ISO

version without them). This offer was not accepted, but most of = the

requested corrections were made. However, the "hot = links" that were in

the PDF sent to ISO were not in the published version, which = resulted in

several user complaints. Later, ISO asked the editor if he = could produce

a revised PDF with the hot links, but this was impractical = because the

lack of prior coordination meant that all the editing done by = ISO would

have had to be redone in the LaTeX source used by WG5 to = produce the

hot-linked PDF. This would have led to pagination differences. =

22.02.01.05 Type 2 Technical Report on Enhanced Module = Facilities

The TR on Enhanced Module Facilities was published on Feb 15 as =

ISO/IEC TR 19767:2005(E) and is in the ISO on-line catalogue, = price

CHF 75. The principal aims are to enable decomposing large and =

interconnected facilities into tractable units, avoid = 'recompilation

cascades' when a single module of a very large program is = altered,

assist packaging proprietary software, and ease library = creation and

maintenance.

Again, the final stages did not run as smoothly as we wished. = It was

the subject of a DTR ballot that ran from 18 June 2004 to 18 = August 2004.

This was passed with 13 yeses without comments, 0 yeses with = comments,

0 nos, and 6 abstentions. The editor was asked to provide a new = version

with some editorial changes in the Foreword and a change of = fonts.

This was sent on 1 September 2004. A proof prepared from this = was not

sent until 15 December 2004. We responded to this on 23 = December

with a short list of substantive changes and a short list of =

non-substantive changes. The editor offered a new version with = all

these changes included, but this was not accepted. Only the = substantive

changes were made.

1.2.2 Projects Underway

22.02.01.01 Programming Language Fortran - Part 1: Base = language

The primary responsibility for maintenance of Fortran 2003 has = been

delegated to INCITS/J3. Our procedure is that each = interpretation

request is first considered by J3. Once a response has been =

agreed at a J3 meeting, a J3 letter ballot is held, and if this = is

successful it is followed by an informal WG5 vote. A vote is = deemed to

have failed if there are any no votes with reasons that have = not so far

been considered. This gives plenty of scope for detailed = analysis and

gives the result good credibility. =

30 interpretations had passed all these stages by the end of = the May 2005

meeting and the first corrigendum was prepared. Defect Report 1 = for

Fortran 2003 (ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG5 N1640) contains responses = to all

these and the corresponding edits are collected in the first = draft

corrigendum for Fortran 2003 (ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG5 N1641). = They are

currently being balloted (ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22 N3905), with due = date

31 August 2005.

At the time of writing (July 2005) there are 33 interpretations = being

processed.

It was agreed at the May 2004 meeting of WG5 that the next = revision

should be minor (as was Fortran 95 as a revision of Fortran 90) = with

a target publication date of 2009. WG5 is already committed to including

the enhanced module facilities of its TR. A Repository of = Requirements

(Standing Document 5) has been established and revised several = times;

the latest version is ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG5 N1626. It contains = 49 items

from USA, = 6 items from the Russian = Federation, and 10 items from the UK.

They have all been allocated an integer 'severity level' (see = WG5 N1594)

that varies between 7 for a technical change likely to need = more than

2 years to develop to 3 for a very minor technical change. At = the

meeting in May 2005, all items at level 4 and above and many of = those

at level 3 were considered. 16 were chosen definitely, the most =

significant of which was co-arrays for parallel processing = (level 6).

17 were chosen subject to J3 time permitting, and 12 were = excluded

definitely. The plan is to make a final choice at the next = meeting

(Feb. 2006)

22.02.01.05 Type 2 Technical Report on Enhanced Module = Facilities

With the publication of the TR on Enhanced Module Facilities, =

this now enters a maintenance stage. =

22.02.02 Programming Language Fortran - Part 2: Varying = Length

Character Strings

Features of Fortran 2003 cover almost all the requirements for = which

Part 2 was written. However, the new standard has not yet = been

published and it is likely to be several years before compilers = will

be widely available. Therefore, WG5 continues to have = responsibility

for maintenance, but there have been no interpretation = requests.

22.02.03 Programming Language Fortran - Part 3: = Conditional

Compilation

Now that the revision of the base language has been published, = a minor

revision of this part may be appropriate, but work on this has = not

commenced. WG5 continues to have responsibility for = maintenance, but

there have been no interpretation = requests.

1.2.3 Projects Withdrawn

None.

1.3 Cooperation and Competition

WG5 cooperates closely with the ANSI INCITS/J3 Fortran = Technical

Committee, to whom it has delegated the technical development = of

Fortran as well as the maintenance of Fortran 2003 = (ISO/IEC

1539-1:2004(E)). There is also close contact with the = industry-driven

HPF and OpenMP Architecture Review Board, with several members = of the

Board also being members of J3 and/or WG5. For example, the = OpenMP

board has aligned the OpenMP 2.0 Release with Fortran 95. Many = of

those responsible for the development of commercial Fortran = compilers

are members of J3 and/or WG5.

Other important liaisons are those with IFIP WG2.5 = (Numerical

Software), IEEE 754 (Floating-point hardware), ANSI = INCITS/H2

(Data base), and ANSI INCITS/J11 = (C)

There are no competitive = activities.

2 PERIOD REVIEW

2.1 Market Requirements

Fortran is the language of choice for much scientific, = engineering,

and economic programming, particularly for very large programs = that

have evolved over many years. The long delay between the = release of

Fortran 77 and the availability of Fortran 90 compilers, at a = time

when other languages, such as C and C++, were evolving rapidly, = had a

significant impact on the use of Fortran, but there are now = clear

signs that the facilities available in Fortran 90 and Fortran = 95 are

causing a growing number of scientific and technological users = to move

towards these latest versions of Fortran. Vendors have upgraded = their

Fortran 90 compilers to Fortran 95, most of them have = incorporated the

extensions of TR 15581 (allocatable array extensions), and some = have

incorporated the extensions of TR 15580 (exception handling = and

support of IEEE floating-point arithmetic). Some have begun implementing

the new features of Fortran 2003.

Most major Fortran compiler vendors are represented either on = WG5 or

its Primary Development Body, INCITS/J3, as are two of the = major

research establishments that rely on Fortran for their = scientific

computing. In addition to vendor-supplied and specific mailing = lists,

there is an active email list and an active usenet newsgroup = for users

of Fortran, which provide valuable feedback from users. All = these

diverse sources are being used to guide the development of = the

language, both through revisions to the base language Standard, = and

through other related standards and technical = reports.

2.2 Achievements

The Fortran standard has passed a significant milestone with = the

publication of the Fortran 2003 standard. Similarly, the TR on = enhanced

module facilities has passed a significant milestone with its publication.

2.3 Resources

As elsewhere in the Standardization world, it is becoming = increasingly

difficult to persuade employers to provide the necessary = funding for

Standards activity. The number of employers, especially = among compiler

vendors, continues to decline through corporate mergers and =

acquisitions. WG5 delegates most of the technical work = involved

in developing Standards and Technical Reports to 'development = bodies'

which are either based on a national Fortran committee, as in = the case

of INCITS/J3, or consist of a (small) multinational group under = the

leadership of the relevant project editor. WG5 currently = has one such

active development body (the primary development body) = developing

standards, and four development bodies monitoring published = standards

and technical reports for maintenance = purposes.

WG5 itself carries out much of its discussions via email, with = an

annual meeting, usually during the summer, and occasional other meetings

at critical stages in the development of the base language = standard. The

meeting in May 2005 was attended by 23 members, including the = Convener,

representing 6 member bodies.

3 FOCUS FOR NEXT WORK PERIOD

3.1 Deliverables

It is envisaged that the second corrigendum for Part 1 will = be

submitted in the summer of 2006.

It is envisaged that a new work item for the revision of Part 1 = will be

submitted in the summer of 2006.

3.2 Strategies

WG5 operates under a strategic plan described in WG5 Standing = Document

4, the latest version of which is WG5 N1349. In = particular, the

revision of the base Standard, IS 1539-1, is delegated to = ANSI

INCITS/J3 operating as WG5's Primary Development Body, while = the other

projects for which WG5 is responsible are handled by other = Development

Bodies, which liaise with the Primary Development Body as = required.

3.2.1 Risks

As far as possible, WG5 tries to anticipate technical comments = during

international ballots by holding informal ballots of its = members

before any documents are submitted for ballot. = Nevertheless,

unexpected technical comments can always delay the planned = schedule.

3.2.2 Opportunities

WG5 has made extensive use of email for over a decade to speed = up

technical development. Since 1995 most documents have been = distributed

via an official file server in the UK; all documents have = been

distributed in this way since 1997. An open web site is = also used to

provide non-technical, and other publicly available, = information to

interested parties.

In addition to speeding up the distribution of documents, the = use of

electronic distribution and communication systems also provides = many

other benefits, such as the ability to rapidly carry out = informal

ballots of the members for various = reasons.

3.2.3 Work Program Priorities

WG5's priority activities this year are the maintenance of the = base

Fortran language Standard, ISO/IEC 1539-1:2004(E) and the = consideration

of items submitted to the Repository as candidates for the next revision.

4. ADMINISTRATIVE = INFORMATION

4.1 WG5 Liaisons

See Section 1.3.

&nbs= p;

4.2 Recent Meetings

2003/07/28-08/01 Dresden, Germany

2004/05/02-07 Las Vegas, USA

2005/05/9-13 Delft, Netherlands =

4.3 Future Meetings

2006/02/13-17 George Mason University, USA

2007/07 or 2007/08 London, UK=

Note that WG5 normally meets annually, with extra meetings = being held

as/when necessary to process ballot comments or other high = priority

activities that do not accord with the regular meeting = schedule.

WG5's Primary Development Body, INCITS/J3, meets = quarterly. Other

work is carried out via email.

5. SC22 PLENARY ACTIONS RELATED TO = WG5

5.1 Free availability of three TRs and a = Corrigendum

WG5 requests that WG5's three Type 2 TRs be made freely = available. They

are: =

ISO/IEC TR 15580:2001

ISO/IEC TR 15581:2001

ISO/IEC TR 19767:2005

It also requests that if the Technical Corrigendum that is = currently being

balloted is published that this be made freely = available.

5.2 Change of editor for Part 1 of the Fortran = standard

WG5 requests that Malcolm Cohen, NAG, UK, = be appointed as editor of

Part 1 in succession to Richard Maine who stepped down with the publication

of Fortran 2003.

5.3 Delays during the final stages of publication of = standards

ISO has made it very clear to committee secretaries that time = is of the essence

in standards development. Therefore WG5 requests SC22 to = discuss with the ISO

secretariat the delays that WG5 experienced in the final stages = of publication

of both Fortran 2003 and the TR (see Section 1.2.1 of this = report) and to seek

improvements.

Sally = Seitz

Program = Manager

ANSI

25 = West 43rd Street

New = York, NY 10036<= /p>

Phone: (212) 642-4918

Fax: (212) 840-2298