Simply Fortran 4.0 Is Finally Here!

Approximatrix is happy to announce the newest major release of Simply Fortran! Version 4.0 is the first major release in 8 years, introducing major feature additions, a new level of polish, and countless performance improvements and bug fixes.

For the first time, Simply Fortran now supports alternative Fortran compilers via a new Compiler Personalities feature. While we still include the GNU Fortran compiler on Windows, the development environment can now easily be configured to use LLVM's flang compiler, Approximatrix's WebFortran compiler, and others.

The development environment can also make use of external language servers to better support languages other than Fortran. Employing a language server can greatly improve Simply Fortran's autocompletion and project/file outlines when working with supported languages like C++ or Python. Simply Fortran is able to detect the presence of languages in projects for which a language server is assigned and automatically manage the server's life cycle in the background.

On Windows, Simply Fortran can now work with the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), employing tools from within the Linux environment seamlessly. Fortran compilers within WSL can be executed from our native Windows development environment, project targets can be launched under WSL, and Linux targets can be debugged from within Simply Fortran.

We've updated the Windows compiler to GNU Fortran 16.1, which includes all the performance improvements and new features users expect from compiler upgrades. Additionally, the new compiler release includes a new shared-memory coarray library that should improve performance drastically over our previous coarray implementation.

The GNU/Linux version now defaults to a modern "header bar" application window format. The new layout modernizes Simply Fortran, bringing the development environment up to modern Linux user interface standards. The original, classic "menu bar" layout is still available under the Appearance and Behavior options. Options windows under Linux have been drastically overhauled with a new look and feel that provides a more intuitive experience.

Countless bug fixes and performance improvements have been integrated into this release. More information can be found on our blog post that describes the new release in detail.

Unfortunately, version 4.0 will not be available for macOS platforms. This decision, which was not made lightly, stems from sustainability and functional issues with continuing development on macOS.

The latest release is available on our Download page. Simply Fortran remains free to try for 30 days, and it should work when installed alongside earlier versions for trial purposes. Users of earlier versions will need to purchase a license upgrade to 4.0 as it is a new major release.