# A Additional Language Features

To facilitate compatibility with other versions of Fortran, Compaq Fortran 77 provides the following additional language features:

- The DEFINE FILE, ENCODE, DECODE, and FIND statements

- A NOF77 interpretation of the EXTERNAL statement

- Octal forms of integer constants

- An alternative syntax for the PARAMETER statement

- The VIRTUAL statement

- The AND, OR, XOR, IMAG, LSHIFT, and RSHIFT intrinsic functions

- An alternative syntax for bit constants

- C-style escape sequences (Alpha only)

- An alternative syntax for a record specifier

- An alternative syntax for the DELETE statement

- An alternative syntax for character constants (Alpha only)

These language features are particularly useful in porting older Fortran programs to systems on Alpha or VAX processors. However, you should avoid using them in new programs on these systems, and in new programs for which portability to other FORTRAN-77 implementations is important.

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