15 Feb
2025
15 Feb
'25
8:24 p.m.
I'm not very familiar with ALGOL, but just today I met someone at VCF who
has essentially built a replica of the LGP-30 (in FPGA form, more on that
to come down the road, but it is a system from 1955/1956). Then related to
that, two different people mentioned to me of an early ALGOL compiler being
available for the LGP-30. I don't know if that was of a form to be
considered any kind of "block structure" as you mentioned.
But it is sad that the ego of those who "hold the pen" (as it were) for
Wikipedia is influencing the content. While Google can pretty far and
wide, the testimony of "someone who was there" should be considered (and
can be in a section noted as such).
-Steve
On Sat, Feb 15, 2025 at 9:09 AM Frank Leonhardt via cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
As those of us with a few years will know, Tony Hoare
(and Jill's)
implementation of Algol 60 on the Elliott 803 was a highly significant
event in the history of computer languages. It was the first practical
commercial Algol compiler, launched block structures languages, and
played a part in Elliott selling nearly 300 803B computers at a time
when 300 computers was a big number.
Obviously the US preferred Fortran and COBOL for commercial use, and
there were other Algol compilers in some shape or other knocking about
in universities. But I'd say this implementation put block structured
programming into the mainstream. (And it was the first high level
language I used, but that's beside the point).
Now some kid on Wikipedia thinks it's not notable and is trying to
delete it because he can't find much on it doing a Google search.
Wikipedia may be sinking under activists and egos, but I think we need
to put this misapprehension straight. Unfortunately we may be arguing
with an idiot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_ALGOL
If course, if anyone thinks it wasn't significant, that's an opinion
too, but I'd like to hear why.
Thanks, Frank.