IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Celebrating 70 Years of Fortran

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Theme 1: Fortran’s ongoing role in high‑performance scientific computing

“In the mid 90s I used Fortran to model a distillation column … it is still the go to language for nuclear engineering.” – ryan_glass
“I worked on BLAS. Amazing language and tremendous impact it's had over the decades.” – buddyholey
“Modern fortran is very very fast and much nicer to use than C for linear algebra … it remains the best language, even today.” – dranudin

Theme 2: Evolution from archaic features to modern standards

“I believe it has changed quite a lot … adapting more modern language constructs. I'm not sure how much of the archaic stuff (COMMON blocks, ENTRY points etc) is supported in the more recent standards …” – hermitcrab
“Have people moved on from Fortran 77? … professors were insisting in writing in that dialect. Thank God I escaped that hell.” – BeetleB
“After Fortran 77 came Fortran 90, Fortran 95, Fortran 2003, Fortran 2008, Fortran 2018, and Fortran 2023.” – jibalt

Theme 3: Historical influence and cultural legacy

“FORTRAN is also the origin of using 'i', 'j', 'k', etc as loop variables in code …” – jandrewrogers
“I wanted to learn Fortran in the 1990s … To mark comments, just punch a letter 'C' into the first column of the punch card.’ I returned the book and never learned Fortran.” – FabHK
“FORTRAN 77 was the language for the first programming language course I took. I absolutely hated computers and programming after that course.” – waynecochran

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

Fortran Linter & Formatter (FortranLint)

Summary

  • A static analysis tool that detects error‑prone legacy constructs (COMMON blocks, ENTRY points, implicit GOTO) and suggests modern Fortran‑90+ replacements.
  • Provides automatic formatting to enforce consistent style, reducing bugs and easing maintenance of large scientific codebases.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Scientific software maintainers, legacy Fortran developers, HPC teams
Core Feature Linting rules for COMMON misuse, ENTRY points, GOTO, plus optional auto‑fix and code formatting (like clang‑format)
Tech Stack Rust (for speed), tree‑sitter Fortran grammar, CLI, optional VS Code extension
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • HN commenters complained that COMMON blocks are “ugly and easy to make errors” (hermitcrab) and that legacy constructs cause subtle bugs; this tool directly addresses those pain points.
  • Would enable gradual modernization of codebases without full rewrite, sparking discussion on best practices for Fortran evolution.

Fortran‑to‑Python/Julia Transpiler (F2PyJ)

Summary

  • Translates Fortran numerical kernels (array operations, BLAS‑like calls) into idiomatic Python/Julia while preserving performance via generated NumPy/Julia wrappers.
  • Allows scientists to incrementally replace Fortran modules with easier‑to‑debug, richer‑ecosystem code.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Researchers, computational engineers, teams wanting to prototype or integrate Fortran code with ML/AI pipelines
Core Feature Source‑to‑source translation of Fortran 90/95 array intrinsics to NumPy/Julia, with optional OpenMP‑to‑threading mapping
Tech Stack Python (frontend), LLVM/Frontend for Fortran parsing, Jinja2 templates for code generation, optional CUDA backend
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue‑ready: SaaS subscription ($15/mo per user) for private repos + cloud‑based transpilation

Notes

  • Users noted Fortran’s strength in numerical performance (dranudin) but wanted easier interoperability; this tool lets them keep speed while gaining Python/Julia ecosystems.
  • Could ignite HN discussion on transpilation trade‑offs and showcase real‑world speed comparisons.

Interactive Fortran Playground & Learning Hub (FortranPlay)

Summary

  • Web‑based Fortran REPL powered by WebAssembly (using LLVM‑compiled flang) with built‑in tutorials, visualizations of array operations, and a gallery of classic algorithms (e.g., LINPACK, FFT).
  • Enables newcomers to experiment instantly without installing compilers, while offering educators a platform for assignments.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Students, professors, hobbyists wanting to learn Fortran or explore legacy code
Core Feature In‑browser Fortran editor, execution, output display, step‑through visualizer for loops/arrays, exercise marketplace
Tech Stack TypeScript/Rust (compiled to WASM via flang), Monaco Editor, Svelte frontend, Docker‑backed execution sandbox
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Commenters recalled struggles learning Fortran due to outdated docs and punch‑card centric tutorials (FabHK, whartung); a modern interactive playground directly mitigates that friction.
  • Would serve as a practical utility for teaching and could revive interest in Fortran among new generations, prompting HN threads on language pedagogy.

Read Later