Fortran 95/2003 Explained (Numerical Mathematics and Scientific Computation)

I had used the F90/95 edition for a while before I got this edition. Although it is not easy for a beginner, I would recommend you have it if you wanna go further with Fortran. Many questions you gonna meet are answered inside.

This book is the best on the subject of Fortran 95/2003, but there's not a lot of competition. It has a specific target audience: practicing computer professionals. Don't pick it up if you are not already familiar with object-oriented programming, derived data types, pointers, etc. This is not the book from which to learn those concepts.

It's a pity that there does not exist a book to bridge the gap between Fortran 77 (which the majority of the Fortran code base uses) and Fortran 95/2003. If you are a Fortran 77 programmer looking to learn Fortran 95/2003, this probably isn't the book for you. If you are a proficient C++ or Java programmer looking to pick up Fortran (there can't be very many of you) then you will find this book very helpful.

Very difficult to read. Assumes no previous knowledge of Fortran, yet does not quite show the reader how to actually write a functional program until late in the book. Chapman's book(s) are much better.

I have some 20 years experience in coding in Fortran 77, but finally needed to catch up with Fortran 95 and 2003. I have also bought "Fortran 90/95 for Scientists and Engineers" by Stephen Chapman and found that a much better book for beginners in Fortran 95. "Fortran 95/2003 Explained" reads, as other reviewers have noted, like a language reference. There is basically no build-up in this book and I also have the feeling that in earlier Chapters it is expected that you already know what comes in later Chapters. The examples in the book are rarely explanatory to me, they leave me often without a clear understanding of what purpose is served.

For those who want to learn Fortran 95 (even for those who are already fluent in Fortran 77) I would recommend to buy the book by Stephen Chapman instead. If you want a reference manual, "Fortran 95/2003 Explained" will likely serve you well.

Amongst all the new computer books these days, it is rare to find one on Fortran. This text will have much familiar to programmers of earlier versions. The authors go on about Fortran 95 and its 2003 sibling. Yet it is still recognisably much like F77.

The presentation is advanced. The level of difficulty of the syntax explanations is considerably above an elementary text. An important section advises on how to interoperate with C. Variables in one might map into variables in the other, using an ISO Binding scheme.

But perhaps the most important aspect of F2003 is that it allows object oriented coding. Using type extensions and polymorphism. However, after going through the text, it still seems not as easy as C++ or Java.