Speaker
Description
Fortran has a distinguished history as one of the earliest programming languages, yet its modern open source ecosystem is often perceived as small or stagnant compared to more recent languages. In this talk we present an evidence-based view of the current state of Fortran open source software by mining activity across GitHub. Our study examines the top 2000 “most relevant” Fortran repositories and compares them with equivalent sets in Python, Java, Go, and Node. We consider both absolute measures and values normalised against estimated user bases, focusing on active contributors, commit frequency, issue activity, and repository health.
The analysis reveals patterns that distinguish Fortran projects: concentrations in numerical libraries, high-performance computing, and domain-specific codes; lower churn but relatively stable maintenance; and a smaller but committed contributor base. When adjusted for community size, Fortran activity compares more favourably than raw numbers suggest, particularly in terms of longevity and resilience of core projects. By highlighting both strengths and weaknesses, this work provides a clearer picture of how Fortran fits into the wider open source landscape today. We conclude with implications for sustainability and growth, and discuss opportunities to strengthen Fortran’s role in the modern open source ecosystem.
