16 Feb
2025
16 Feb
'25
8:59 a.m.
On 2/16/25 06:56, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote:
My father (a metrologist and professor of mechanical
engineering) would read ALGOL programs written by others, based on their resemblance to
English. And yes, it was for years the choice for expressing algorithms in journals such
as CACM. The fashion of rendering keywords as bold text fits that usage very well.
CALGO ever since the beginning has also allowed algorithms in FORTRAN,
it being the only language a lot of number-heavy shops use (e.g. JPL).
Algol had the reputation of being a language used mostly by Europeans.
--Chuck