8 May
2010
8 May
'10
10:25 a.m.
Dan Gahlinger wrote:
I would if I could. I can find NO trace of it anywhere online.
I can't even find the COMPUTER system it ran on- not a trace of it!
the computer was a "Sentry-70", and no, it's not the earliest system that
ran Valtrep,
just the only one I ever worked with.
Again, I'm willing to cede the point if provided evidence to the contrary,
this is certainly strong, but not binding.
If we could even find a hint about the computer itself, it might lead to information
about Valtrep.
I will humbly mention for consideration that RCA produced the "Spectra 70" line
of computer systems starting in the mid/late-60's.
"valtrep" (which, I too, have never previously heard of) might have been one
of many things: an in-house development to avoid paying for a FORTRAN compiler,
somebody's idea of a paired-down FORTRAN to reduce system requirements, some
proprietary language developed by the system manufacturer, etc.
Also for consideration, the period brochure about the Spectra 70 from:
http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/RCA/RCA.SPECTRA70.1965.10…
states on page 21:
...
A case in point might be when your programmers cannot express
the solution to a problem concisely in one of the standard languages
such as COBOL or Fortran. The extended assember "meta language"
- as it is sometimes identified - is a powerful tool that permits
the expression of unique application-oriented languages by your
programmers.
Might be just marketing-speak for a macro-assembler, and I'm not suggesting
this was "valtrep", but if the computer was a Spectra 70, this may have been an
available tool to inspire some in-house language development.
--
Others have addressed the notion of "valtrep" predating FORTRAN, I'll try
to
refrain from commenting further on that topic.