(j3.2006) (SC22WG5.5350) From a colleague

[Van Snyder]

My colleague wrote:

        I've just learned that at least some compilers will no longer
        support the arithmetic IF statement.  The reason being that
        there is no good  answer as to what this statement should do if
        the value in question is a NaN.  And here I thought that
        compiler writers would continue to support all the old features
        out of self interest.  But here there seems to be no good
        answer.

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This colleague has "only" about 170,000 lines of Fortran 77 code to
support.  He's a semi-retired proprietor of a small business, with no
staff other than himself to revise his codes so as not to use Arithmetic
IF.  I don't know how many clients are using his software.

I'm expecting that people who use a library of mathematical software on
which I worked, from 1974 until support was discontinued in 1996, will
experience the same problem.  At one time, we had 600 users.  I don't
know how many people still use it.

Was it really wise, and especially was it necessary, to delete
Arithemtic IF?  Couldn't we just leave it in obsolescent font?