Quotes: x

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The primary purpose of the DATA statement is to give names to constants; instead of referring to pi as 3.141592653589793 at every appearance, the variable PI can be given that value with a DATA statement and used instead of the longer form of the constant. This also simplifies modifying the program, should the value of pi change.
from a Xerox Fortran manual
You can always solve a problem by introducing another layer of indirection.
Xerox PARC saying
We can call it e-sol, which has the added benefit of being ‘lose’ spelled backwards.
xpaul