The advantages of Fortran 90 by John Reid Abstract Fortran 77 is the most widely used language for scientific programming. Its long-awaited revision is now called Fortran 90. It was finalized (down to the last editorial detail) on 11 April 1991, published as an ISO Standard in August 1991, and the first compiler is now on the market. This seems an appropriate moment to review its history and explain its advantages. Submitted for publication in Computing. Central Computing Department, Atlas Centre, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxon OX11 0QX. March 1994.