Are translation programs usable?

Hi!


It seems to me that many programmers search on the net for translation
programs between different programming languages, e.g. a Fortran-to-C
translator.


I am currently working on an exam project about program understanding and
maintenance. Therefore, if you have any experience with such translators,
I would like to ask you a few questions: Did you get a usable translator
(or were they too primitive)? Did you actually use it? For what (portation
to new environment, re-use of parts, error correction, further
development)? Were you able to understand the output program text? Did you
have to know the old program well to understand the new one?


Please send me a note if you have any such translator experience, no
matter what the source and target languages was.


If I get enough response, I will post the results of this little survey.


                                            Greetings,
                                            Sju Thorup at DIKU in Denmark.
                                            (mail to ciao@diku.dk = Lars Thorup)


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