I am surprised by Stuart's reported remarks. Of course, Stuart may have meant that there is no way one verify the correct operation 'in general'. I also dont see the point of trying to stop the use of f2c. The time per function eval was slower from the C code but the overall run time was faster with C code because fewer func evals were required to complete the problem. Nick Holford's observations about f2c seem reasonable.
Compilers simply translate between languages.
Alison has sucked me into a discussion which I would have preferred to avoid. She sent out the following quote from me, intended for a particular individual in a particular context, and not intended for general discussion. And you all, understandbly, started to discuss this. On first principles, I strongly recommend against this practice. I have checked our license agreement.