March 11, 1997 6:15 PM ET
Digital takes over Fortran PowerStation from Microsoft
By Norvin Leach

Microsoft Corp. is turning over its dormant Fortran PowerStation to Digital Equipment Corp., which will merge it with its own technology to create a new product called Visual Fortran 5. Due next month, Visual Fortran 5 uses the Fortran PowerStation compiler, Microsoft's newest Developer Studio integrated development environment, and Digital's front-end language parser for FORTRAN 77 and FORTRAN 90. The product will also include the IMSL math libraries from Visual Numerics Inc. Off-loading the FORTRAN product was "just a matter of focus," according to Tom Button, director of marketing for Microsoft's developer division. "The FORTRAN market is not as central to us. Digital has the resources and focus to do it best." Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., will officially stop selling Fortran PowerStation on April 1, although the company actually phased out development efforts last year. Customers can continue on paid support plans until April 1998. Visual Fortran 5, available from Digital, costs $599, or $360 for an upgrade from PowerStation. Digital, of Maynard, Mass., is at www.digital.com. Copyright(c) 1997 Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company is prohibited. PC Week and the PC Week logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. PC Week Online and the PC Week Online logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. Send mail to PC Week