/sys$common/syshlp/helplib.hlb FORTRAN, Compatibility Features  *Conan The Librarian (sorry for the slow response - running on an old VAX)

  Compaq Fortran provides the following language features to aid
  compatibility with other versions of Fortran:

   o  The DEFINE FILE, ENCODE, DECODE, and FIND statements

   o  A NOF77 interpretation of the EXTERNAL statement

   o  Octal forms of integer constants

   o  An alternative syntax for the PARAMETER statement

   o  The VIRTUAL statement

   o  An alternative syntax for bit constants

   o  An alternative syntax for a record specifier

  These language features are particularly useful in transporting
  older Fortran programs to a VAX system.  However, you should avoid
  using them in new programs on these systems, and in new programs
  for which portability to other FORTRAN-77 implementations is
  important.

  Additional Information (explode) :

• DEFINE_FILE
• ENCODE and DECODE
• FIND
• NOF77_EXTERNAL
• Octal Notation
• PARAMETER
• VIRTUAL
• Bit Constant Syntax
• Record Specifier Syntax