[MPIWG Fortran] Topics to discuss

[Jeff Hammond]

>>> 4. Do we want to deprecate the mpi module?  This is a complex issue.
>>
>>
>> Yes.  No, it's not :-)
>
>
> I'm in the middle here. It is a bigger user change to move from the mpi
> module to the mpi_f08 module because user variable types have to be changed.
> That can be a lot more work, and less mechanical, than the transition from
> mpif.h to using a module.
>
> However, the use of INTEGER arguments is the only relevant feature of the
> mpi module that is worth preserving for user convenience (as much as I
> dislike using default INTEGER declarations).    The rest of the mpi module
> could/should be modernized to make it more like the mpi_f08 module,
> including:
>
> a) TYPE(*) declarations for choice buffer arguments
> b) DIMENSION(..) attribute for choice buffer arguments
> c) ASYNCHRONOUS attribute for choice buffer arguments where relevant
> d) OPTIONAL arguments, particularly for the ierror argument
> e) INTENT specifications for arguments
>
> I think it is desirable that people still using the mpi module should be
> able to take advantage of the other improvements that came with mpi_f08.  In
> addition, these changes would make the two module sources a lot more
> similar, simplifying maintenance.
>
> I realize that this sort of change would reduce the motivation for users of
> the mpi module to move to the mpi_f08 module, which is a potential marketing
> issue.   Perhaps that could be balanced with a "no new MPI 4.0
> features/routines supported" rule for the mpi module.

These are really good ideas.  Modernizing the pre-f08 module would be
valuable and be much more palatable to users.

No new features in pre-f08 module may not be necessary if we add
enough of the F08 features that eliminate the nutso (from a C person's
perspective) parts of pre-2003 Fortran.

>>> Should we webex next week to discuss these things?
>>
>>
>> Sure but my calander is very colorful already.  We might need Doodle.
>
>
> Being in vacation for all of December except next Tuesday-Friday has put a
> lot of meetings into those days, so it might be a challenge. Worse, the IT
> people think I need a new laptop, so I may be in configuration hell for part
> of next week. (I'm keeping the old one during the transition, though. It's
> just a matter of yet another time sink.) Doodle, definitely, and I'd likely
> not fill it in until Tuesday.

Give your life over to Google and you'll never have to deal with
configuration nonsense again :-D

Jeff


>>> --
>>> Jeff Squyres
>>> jsquyres at cisco.com
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
> Bill Long                                           longb at cray.com
> Fortran Technical Support    &                 voice: 651-605-9024
> Bioinformatics Software Development            fax:   651-605-9142
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-- 
Jeff Hammond
jeff.science at gmail.com