Terminology in Fortran error messages and options

Thomas Koenig tkoenig@netcologne.de
Sat Jun 6 08:54:52 GMT 2026


Hello world,

gfortran error messages are sometimes at odds with Fortran
standard terminology.  For example, -Wuninitialized warns
about automatic-storage variables which do not have a value
assigned, and the error messages also are "used uninitialized".

In Fortran standard terminology, on the other hand, a variable
becomes "defined" or "undefined", so a Fortran compiler should
strive to use that terminology.

How to deal with this?  I would propose to

a) only use Fortran standard terminology for new options
    and error messages

b) Eventually go through Fortran error messages and
    change them if possible

c) Check if it is possible to modify middle-end error messages
    to switch to Fortran terminology

d) Think about what to do for options which use the
    wrong (for Fortran) terminology

Comments? Should I open a PR?

Best regards

	Thomas



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