File Extension SO

File Extension Name: SO

File Extension Description: The file extension SO is part of Fortran series that means Shared Object. The name Fortran is a compression of the words formula translation. The file with the .so extension is intended mainly for mathematical computation. It is a general purpose, yet a high-level, programming language. Fortran series ease up the works of scientific and technical programmers. The program grants the wish of programmers to have straightforward coding (coding that follows the mathematical equation). Works and tasks associated with high dimensional arrays (i.e. those containing complex data, integers, real and binary data), vectors, and matrices are completed in a matter of seconds. The SO file extension has good file handling capabilities for writing and reading data.

An IBM team started the work on Fortran in the 1950’s. The team was headed by John W. Backus and the members were Richard Goldberg, Harlan Herrick, Peter Sheridan, Roy Nutt, Robert Nelson, Irving Ziller, Lois Haibt, David Sayre, and Sheldon F. Best. The main objective of the design is for engineering and other scientific applications. These applications range from numerical weather prediction, computational fluid dynamics, finite element analysis, computation chemistry and physics. Nowadays, this programming language is widely used for high-performance computing for supercomputers. More recent versions of IBM Mathematical Formula Translating System (Fortran 66, Fortran 77, Fortran 90 (95)) now support character-based data processing, module-based programming, object-oriented, array programming and generic programming. Reading and modifying Fortran codes for engineers is an advantageous skill.

The Fortran has been standardized. Computers with Fortran 77 compiler can run this program. This standardization allows portability on different machine platforms.


The Orderpack 2.0 can perform some uncommon routines. Ranking and conventional sorting are as easily accomplish as partial ranking, partial sorting, unique ranking, unique sorting, inverse unique ranking and many more specialized ordering tasks. All of these capabilities accelerate computation even in complex mathematical equations. In a 100,000 trials where out of 500 total elements the 9 smallest elements is picked out, it only took less than 3 seconds for a personal computer with 600 Mhz using CVF 6.1a to complete the task.


Author: John W. Backus

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Associated Applications: Fortran versions up to 2000

Common Path: