https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=65684
kargl at gcc dot gnu.org changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CC| |kargl at gcc dot gnu.org --- Comment #2 from kargl at gcc dot gnu.org --- Your program is non-conforming. Technically, gfortran can do anything. This includes not issuing any error message, starting World War III, or issuing an error message. In fact, gfortran's error message is correct to extent that the write statement reaches the end-of-record. If one takes the time to wander through the final committee draft of the Fortran 2008 standard, then one can piece together the story. The crucial text is the third bullet under Sec. 9.4. 9.2 Records 9.2.1 General A record is a sequence of values or a sequence of characters. 9.4 Internal files An internal file is a record file with the following properties. * A record of an internal file is a scalar character variable. * If the file is a scalar character variable, it consists of a single record whose length is the same as the length of the scalar character variable. * A record of the internal file becomes defined by writing the record. If the number of characters written in a record is less than the length of the record, the remaining portion of the record is filled with blanks. The number of characters to be written shall not exceed the length of the record. 9.6.4 Execution of a data transfer input/output statement 9.6.4.1 General .... (7) Determine whether an error, end-of-file, or end-of-record condition has occurred. .... (10) If an error, end-of-file, or end-of-record condition occurred, processing continues as specified in 9.11; otherwise any variable specified in an IOSTAT= specifier is assigned the value zero. 9.11.4 End-of-record condition and the EOR= specifier If an end-of-record condition occurs during execution of an input/output statement that contains neither an EOR= specifier nor an IOSTAT= specifier, error termination is initiated. IMNSHO, this bug report should be closed as WONTFIX, but I'll leave it open until others have a chance to comment.