Metacommands & Options that Increase Executable File Size

• Microsoft FORTRAN for MS-DOS, versions 4.0, 4.01, 4.1, 5.0, 5.1
• Microsoft FORTRAN for OS/2, versions 4.1, 5.0, 5.1
• Microsoft FORTRAN PowerStation for MS-DOS, versions 1.0 and 1.0a
• Microsoft FORTRAN PowerStation 32 for Windows NT, version 1.0 and 4.0

SUMMARY

The various FORTRAN compile and link options affect the size of the resulting executable file. Three compiler options can significantly affect the amount of memory needed to run an application: the $DEBUG metacommand or the /4Yb debugging compiler option switch, the /Zi CodeView/Visual Workbench information compiler option switch, and the $STORAGE:2 metacommand or the /4I2 integer size compiler option switch.

When Microsoft FORTRAN version 5.1 compiles an application with debug information, the executable file contains up to 40 percent more code than the same application without debugging information. In version 5.0, debug information increases the executable file size from 5 to 28 percent. The memory required to load the application increases by the same amount. It appears that the size increase is even greater for large and complex applications. In versions 4.0 and 4.1, the magnitude of the increase is smaller, between 3 and 19 percent.