J3/04-282

Date:    5 Apr 2004
To:      J3
From:    Richard Maine
Subject: Proposed f2k+ MTE on semicolons

I propose that f2k+ remove the restriction against beginning
a line with a semicolon.  This restriction is stated in
3.3.1.3 (for free source form) and 3.3.2.4 (for fixed source
form) of the f2003 fcd.

This restriction was not in the original f90, but was added
by f90 corrigendum 3.  It remained in f95.

It is my belief that the restriction was added in error,
forgetting about continuation lines.  For a non-continuation
line, the restriction is a consequence of other rules.
I suspect that it was intended to explain this consequence;
f90 did not have notes, so such explanations were put in normative
text.

For continuation lines, I see no sense in it at all.  It looks
like a completely arbitrary restriction with no purpose.
Although the functionality is trivial, I propose deleting the
restriction just in the name of simplicity.  Someday, someone
will run into it and wonder why.

If we want to replace this with a note explaining this as a
consequence of the other rules, that's fine, as long as we
restrict the note to the case that is a consequence (namely
non-continuation lines).

I had a certain temptation to suggest this for f2003, insomuch
as I think it was introduced as an error.  However, erroneous
or not, it was introduced in an f90 corrigendum and has remained
unchanged since then.  I can't argue that it is erroneous in
the sense of being internally inconsistent or unimplementable.
Thus it fails my personal test for changes appropriate to make
this late in f2003.