Getting back into Fortran to develop an algorithm

[postaquestion]

I'm a retired mathematician who is getting back into Fortran in order to develop an algorithm. My 1998 PC and MS Fortran Power Station 4.0 are obsolete and I am now having a Core 2 Duo 3GHz PC built. I want to purhase the Intel Virtual Fortran 10.1 Standard Edition, in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions, and run them under Vista 32-bit and 64-bit in separate partitions on a 250 GB hard disk. Does this sound reasonable? I'm a darn good Fortran programmer but I am home alone and would be teaching myself from your compiler manuals, etc. Which Vista edition do I need? (Premium, Ultimate?) Shall I just order theFortran online from a company like TheNerds.net? They quote $560.99 Will I get a break for buying both 32-bit and 64-bit versions? Thanks for reading.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

You can't purchase the 32 and 64-bit versions separately - we sell one product that includes them both. I don't see a point in installing a separate 32-bit Vista partition - you can build and run both 32 and 64-bit applications in 64-bit Vista. But if you want to buy a separate Vista license, you can install the compiler on both partitions (no extra charge from us.)

No particular edition of Vista is required for Fortran development. Pick the edition that meets your needs otherwise.

The US list price is $599, so anything under that is fine. You may want to consider the Professional Edition of the compiler, which includes the Intel Math Kernel Library, for only $100 more.

As for learning modern Fortran, the reference documentation may not be the best way to do that. There are several good books on Fortran 2003 (or Fortran 95) available.