How about a third option: keep training new programmers on Fortran and improve tooling - just like we do with every other language (and, afaik, this is happenin

How about a third option: keep training new programmers on Fortran and improve tooling - just like we do with every other language (and, afaik, this is happening with Fortran.) Most Fortran programmers I know aren't programmers by trade - they're scientists or analysts who need to crunch numbers. Fortran doesn't need to be as feature complete or cutting edge as more general purpose languages.