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LFortran compiles PRIMA
We’re thrilled to share that LFortran can now successfully compile and execute libprima/PRIMA. PRIMA marks the eighth production-grade, third-party code that LFortran has compiled with bit-for-bit alignment to GFortran’s output. This milestone brings us closer to our goal of compiling 10 such codes—an essential step toward achieving a beta-quality compiler. About PRIMA PRIMA is a package developed by Zaikun Zhang for solving general nonlinear optimization problems without using derivatives. It provides the reference implementation for Powell’s derivative-free optimization methods, i.e., COBYLA, UOBYQA, NEWUOA, BOBYQA, and LINCOA. PRIMA means Reference Implementation for Powell’s methods with Modernization and Amelioration, P for Powell. The package is written in Fortran and is widely used in the scientific community for solving optimization problems.
It utilizes a range of Modern Fortran features, including extensive use of optional variables, function pointer passing, and a randomized test driver, among others. Our primary objective is to transition LFortran from alpha to beta, and we believe that successfully compiling 10 third-party codes is a key milestone in this journey. Our strategy prioritizes features based on their significance, ensuring that LFortran fully supports all language constructs used in these selected codes.
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