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Article View: comp.lang.fortran
Article #4559

Fortran on Windows NT Questionnaire

#4559
From: Joe Wild
Date: Wed, 06 Jan 1993 21:55
663 lines
20661 bytes
Please respond to raven@zko.enet.dec.com.  I will post a summary of the 
responses when available.

Joe

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   TO:  Fortran Programmers             DATE:   5 January 1993
                                        FROM:   Mary Elizabeth Raven
 						Digital Equipment Corporation
                                        PHONE:  USA 1-603-881-2430
                                        ENET:   Raven@zko.enet.dec.com

   Subject: Questionnaire about Fortran

	The Fortran team at Digital Equipment Corporation is 
   developing Fortran for the Windows NT operating system. You can help us 
   try to meet your Fortran needs by completing this 66-question survey.

   	This questionnaire should take from 20 to 35 minutes to fill out.

   	Your answers will be used as input to the design of Fortran 
   for the Windows NT operating system. The information you provide will 
   be used only by the Fortran team. Feel free to comment on any questions or 
   to qualify your answers. We also appreciate suggestions for improving the   
   questionnaire. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact 
   me at the above phone number or e-mail address. 

	Please return this questionnaire by January 12 to:

      Raven@zko.enet.dec.com. 
      or print it out and mail it to:
      Mary Elizabeth Raven
      110 Spit Brook Rd. ZK2-3/K35
      Digital Equipment Corporation
      Nashua, NH 03062 USA

	Each person who responds electronically on or before January 12 will 
   receive an electronic copy of "Zen and the Art of the Internet" by Brendan 
   P. Kehoe as a token of our appreciation.

	Please forward this survey to any other Fortran users! 
  Thank you for your help in understanding the needs of Fortran users.


	********************************************************
		Fortran for the Windows NT OS: A Survey
	********************************************************

   For each question in this section, type an x to the left of *ONE*
   response that best represents your situation.

1. Do you (or your organization) plan to develop applications for or on 
   the Windows NT operating system? 
    __ Yes, I am already developing with a preliminary version
    __ Yes, within 6 months of its official availability
    __ Yes, 6 months to a year after Windows NT is officially available
    __ Yes, more than a year after Windows NT is officially available
    __ Yes, but I don't know when
    __ I don't know 
    __ No (If no, please continue anyway.)
    Comments:

2. What size *INPUT* data sets do you usually work with? 
    __ Less than one megabyte
    __ One megabyte to a gigabyte
    __ More than one gigabyte but less than a terabyte 
       (terabyte=10**12 bytes)
    __ One or more terabytes
    Comments:

3. What size *OUTPUT* data sets do you usually work with? 
    __ Less than one megabyte
    __ One megabyte to a gigabyte
    __ More than one gigabyte but less than a terabyte
    __ One or more terabytes
    Comments:

4. Approximately how many lines of code is your typical Fortran 
    program (program= all the compilable units taken together)? 
    __ Less than 100
    __ 101 to 1,000
    __ 1,001 to 10,000
    __ 10,001 to 100,000
    __ 100,001 to 1 million
    __ Over 1 million
    Comments:

5. Approximately how many source files is your typical Fortran
    program (program= all the compilable units taken together)? 
    __ 1-10
    __ 11-100
    __ 101-500
    __ More than 500
    Comments:
		
		********************************************
   For each question in this section, type an x to the left of *AS MANY*
   responses as apply to your situation.

6. I have used these products during the last year.
    __ DEC FORTRAN
    __ Lahey FORTRAN
    __ HP UX FORTRAN
    __ IBM AIX FORTRAN
    __ Microsoft FORTRAN
    __ Sun FORTRAN
    __ Watcom FORTRAN
    __ Other Fortran product (Specify)__________
    Comments:

7. What platforms do you currently use to HOST your development 
   (that is, where you do your development work).
    __ Windows NT
    __ UNIX or other systems based on the UNIX system
    __ VMS 
    __ Windows 3.x
    __ MS-DOS
    __ OS/2 
    __ Others (Specify)___________		
    Comments:

8. Which packages have you used in the past year?
    __ IMSL (International Math and Statistics Library)
    __ NAG (Numeric Analysis Group)
    __ Graphics libraries (Specify:)______________________________________
    __ Others (Specify: _______________)
    Comments:

9. Do you build software for 
    __ Internal use (You and your colleagues use it)
    __ Products to be sold to a mass market 
    __ Products to be sold to a Vertical or niche market
    __ Customers who hire me on a contract basis
    __ Other (Specify: ________________)
    Comments:

10. From what sources do you usually obtain information about 
    competing compiler systems? 
    __ Journals for my profession
       (Specify: ___________________)
    __ PC magazines 
       (Specify: ___________________)
    __ Other magazines or journals 
       (Specify: ___________________)
    __ Usenet/Internet
    __ CompuServe or similar services
    __ Colleagues
    __ Other (Specify: ___________________)

	****************************************************
   For the following questions, rank the responses using a scale of 1-6, 
   where 1 is the most important and 6 is the least important.

11. Please rank the following criteria for selecting a *DEBUGGER*.
    __ I can debug multi-language applications
    __ I can debug in the current module's language
    __ The debugger has an easy-to-use graphical user interface
    __ The debugger supports debugging multi-threaded applications
    __ The debugger is fast
    __ Other (specify)__________________
    Comments:

12. Please rank the following criteria for selecting a *PROFILER*
    __ The profiler presents information with source-line granularity
    __ The profiler handles highly optimized code
    __ The profiler formats reports so that they are easy to read 
    __ The build is the same for profiling and non-profiling
    __ The profiler allows me to do benchmarking 
    __ Other (specify)__________________
    Comments:
 
13. Please rank the following criteria for selecting a 
   source-navigation-and-viewing-tool (browser) 
    __ The browser has a graphical presentation of the hierarchy
    __ The browser lets me construct the hierarchy graphically 
       (point, drag, click) 
    __ The browser is well-integrated with other tools (debugger, editor)
    __ The browser is fast
    __ The browser filters portions of the hierarchy in or out
    __ Other (specify)__________________
    Comments:
 
		**************************************
   For each of the statements in this section, type an x to the left of 
   the phrase that best represents how you feel about the item.

14. The price of the Fortran compilation system for the Windows NT operating 
    system is competitive with prices for similar compilation systems 
    (for example, DOS or Windows software prices).
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

15. The development system has a graphical user interface.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

16. The development system is easy to learn.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

17. The development system improves programmer productivity (compared 
    to the product(s) you currently use). 
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

18. The development system allows me to use the text editor of my choice.    
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

19. I can write C/C++ programs that can call Fortran packages.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:
	
20. I can write Fortran programs that can call C/C++ packages.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

21. The compiler flags the use of nonportable extensions.
    __ Extremely important   	
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

22. I can compile the same programs without changes on multiple platforms.
    __ Extremely important
       Specify platforms:_____________________
    __ Important
       Specify platforms:_____________________
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

23. I can develop on inexpensive platforms (e.g., MS-DOS) and run on fast 
    platforms (e.g., Cray).
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

24. I have fast turnaround for edit-build-debug.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

25. The debugger works equally well on programs that are written part in 
    C/C++ and part in Fortran.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

26. The compiler can provide array-bounds checking.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

27. The compiler can flag uninitialized variables.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

28. The compiler points to the source of the error.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

29. The linker points to the source of the error.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

30. I can execute a compile and see the results in the editor.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

31. I get online help when and where I need it.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

32. I get online help for features I seldom use.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

33. I can use resources on the network to speed up compilations.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

34. The development system has an automatic builder/maker. 
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

35. I can customize the makefile created by the builder/maker.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

36. I can call the Win32 API (Application Programming Interface) from Fortran.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

37. I can write "TTY" style (console input/output) programs that run under 
    Windows without any coding changes.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

38. I can write one graphical user interface and have it work on Motif, 
    MS Windows, Presentation Manager, OS/2 and OpenLook.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

39. I have an easy way to visualize my output data (e.g., convert a 
    matrix into a two-dimensional graph).
    __ Extremely important
       Give Example:
    __ Important
       Give Example: 
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

40. The programs I develop run for months or longer without failing.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

41. Small programs produce small executable files.
    __ Extremely important.
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

42. Releases of the development environment keep up with the latest 
    release of Windows NT.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

43. The vendor fixes bugs within 2 or 3 months or less.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

44. The vendor supplies an electronic means of getting Fortran support 
    (e.g., Internet, CompuServe, BBS).
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

45. The vendor supplies toll-free telephone support during which I 
    don't get put on hold for more than 5 minutes.
    __ Extremely important
    __ Important
    __ Neutral
    __ Not important
    __ Not at all important
    Comments:

46. I spend most of my time adapting old code (opposed to writing new 
    code).
   __ Strongly agree
   __ Agree
   __ Neutral	
   __ Disagree
   __ Strongly Disagree
   Comments:

47. I would like a compiler option that speeds up compile time
    by doing fewer optimizations.
   __ Strongly agree
   __ Agree
   __ Neutral	
   __ Disagree
   __ Strongly Disagree
   Comments:

48. I prefer to work with a compiler that *automatically* generates 
    VERY GOOD code rather than a compiler that can generate *superb* 
    code but requires more manual intervention.
   __ Strongly agree
   __ Agree
   __ Neutral	
   __ Disagree
   __ Strongly Disagree
   Comments:

49. UNICODE support is important to my application.
   __ Strongly agree
   __ Agree
   __ Neutral	
   __ Disagree
   __ Strongly Disagree
   Comments:

50. It is acceptable to me for the compilation system to create applications 
    targeted to run on Microsoft Windows but not targeted to just 
    DOS (without Windows). 
   __ Strongly agree
   __ Agree
   __ Neutral
   __ Disagree
   __ Strongly Disagree
   Comments:

51a. Do you expect to have two or more developers sharing the same PC?
   __ Yes, all the time or almost all the time
   __ Sometimes
   __ No, never
   __ Don't know
   Comments:
   
   b. If yes or sometimes, do you expect to use the security features 
   of NT so that different developers on the same PC will have different 
   access to the compiler or source files?
   __ Yes, all the time or almost all the time
   __ Sometimes
   __ No, never
   __ Don't know
   Comments:

52. For the applications that you are building, do you expect to have two or
    more users sharing the same PC?  
   __ Yes, all the time or almost all the time
   __ Sometimes
   __ No
   __ Don't know
   Comments:

   b. If yes or sometimes, do you expect to use the security
   features of NT so that different users on the same PC will have 
   different access to the application or its files?
   __ Yes, all the time or almost all the time
   __ Sometimes
   __ No
   __ Don't know
   Comments:

53. Do you expect to have multiple instances of your application running
    at the same time and sharing the same files (either as separate 
    processes on one PC or as processes on different PCs, sharing files over a 
    network?
   __ Yes, all the time or almost all the time
   __ Sometimes
   __ No
   __ Don't know
   Comments:

54. Do you use a librarian. (A librarian combines .obj files into a .lib 
    file.)
   __ Yes, all the time or almost all the time
   __ Sometimes
   __ No, never
   __ Don't know
   Comments:

	**************************************************

55. Please type the *PERCENTAGE* of total development time you will 
    spend developing for each of the following TARGET platforms in THE 
    NEXT SIX MONTHS. 
    __ Windows NT
    __ UNIX or other systems based on the UNIX system
    __ VMS 
    __ Windows 3.x
    __ MS-DOS 
    __ OS/2 
    __ Other (Specify)___________		
    Comments:

56. If you could spend 100 "units" on new compiler 
    features, how would you allocate them? (Type a number next to each 
    item; numbers should add up to 100.)
    __ Improve the integration of the development environment
    __ Make full builds faster
    __ Make generated code smaller
    __ Make generated code faster
    __ Add new language features 
    __ Provide a source-code browser
    __ Improve the debugger
    __ Improve the profiler
    __ Other (Specify:______________)
    Comments:

57. If you could pull Fortran freeware from a network or BBS, what types of 
    things would you pull?

58. How many programmers are working on YOUR CURRENT Fortran project? 
    (Choose one.)
    __ 1-5
    __ 6-10
    __ 11-25
    __ Over 25
    Comments:

59. You are a (Choose one.)
    __ Consultant/Contractor in programming or software engineering
    __ Manager
    __ Programmer/Software Engineer for a company/institution
    __ Scientist
    __ Other (Specify:____________)

60. Do YOU make the decision to purchase a compiler or development 
    environment? (Choose one.)
    __ Yes
    __ Sometimes
    __ I don't make the decision but I influence it.
    __ No
    Comments:

61. Where do you usually buy your software? (Choose one.)
    __ Through our computer vendor's sales representative
    __ Mail order from a computer vendor
    __ Mail order from retail software companies (e.g., PC Connection)
    __ Local PC stores (e.g., Egghead, CompUSA)
    __ Other (Specify: _____________)

62. Are you interested in being a field test site for Digital 
    Fortran for the Windows NT operating system?
    __ Yes
    __ Maybe
    __ No

63. May we contact you to ask you follow-up questions? 
    __ Yes
    __ No

64. May we contact you to ask you to participate in a focus group?
    __ Yes
    __ No
   Name (optional):
   Phone (optional):
   Enet (optional):
   Address (optional):

65. Please add any other comments you would like us to consider 
    about Fortran for the Windows NT operating system.

66. I want my electronic copy of "Zen and the Art of the 
    Internet" in (choose one):
   __ A PostScript file
   __ A text (ASCII) file
   __ Do not send me a copy

		************************************
Thank you for completing the survey and returning it to:
Raven@zko.enet.dec.com

______________________________________________________________________________
  Microsoft, MS, Windows and Windows NT are registered trademarks of 
  Microsoft Corporation.
  OpenLook and Sun are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
  OS/2 is a trademark licensed to Microsoft Corporation.
  PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.
  Presentation Manager is a trademark of International Business Machines Corp.
  UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc.
  VMS is a trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation.
  WATCOM is a trademark of WATCOM Systems, Inc.
 
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Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!haven.umd.edu!decuac!pa.dec.com!engage.pko.dec.com!e2big.mko.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!igor!wild
From: wild@tle.enet.dec.com (Joe Wild)
Subject: Fortran on Windows NT Questionnaire
Message-ID: <1993Jan6.215523.11278@nntpd.lkg.dec.com>
Sender: wild@igor (Joe Wild)
Reply-To: raven@zko.enet.dec.com (Mary Elizabeth Raven)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 21:55:23 GMT
Lines: 663