Should I convert FORTRAN code to C?

[Randy Ricklefs]

We will soon start porting software from a number of different sources to a
micro-processor-based UNIX system.  Most of the code is in various dialects
of FORTRAN.  The question that arises is whether to convert all this stuff
to a more modern language, particularly c.  This suggests several questions
which I hope the NET readers will help answer (without starting a 100-years
war on languages ... please! :-) ):

1) Are people actually initiating new projects in FORTRAN, or are they
	maintaining and porting old FORTRAN code?
2) Does the answer to 1) change if we restrict discussion to PC's & Macs?
3) Is c a suitable replacement for FORTRAN in terms of mathematical capabil-
	ities and portablility?
4) Are there reliable FORTRAN to c translators available under MS-DOS or UNIX
	that will allow moving over to c without re-coding the world?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Randy

-- 

                       Randy Ricklefs
       uucp:  {ut-sally, ut-ngp, noao, charm}!utastro!rlr
  arpa:  rlr at utastro.UTEXAS.ARPA    phone:  (512) 471-1342