Comparison of C++ and Fortran 90 for object-oriented scientific programming

Abstract

C++ and Fortran 90 are compared as object-oriented languages for use in scientific computing. C++ is a full-featured, object-oriented language that provides support for inheritance and polymorphism. Fortran 90 can mimic some object-oriented features through combinations of its TYPE and MODULE syntax elements, but it lacks inheritance and thus does not permit code reuse to the same extent as C++. Each language has other useful features unrelated to object-oriented programming, but the additional features of Fortran 90 can be included in C++ through the development of class libraries. In contrast, including the additional features of C++ in Fortran 90 would require further development of the Fortran 90 syntax. A critical feature missing in Fortran 90 is the template , which allows C++ programmers to build portable, reusable code and to dramatically improve the efficiency of the evaluation of complex expressions involving user-defined data types.