[HECnet] PDP-11 Algol

[Paul_Koning at Dell.com]

If I remember right, PDP-11 Algol has been mentioned on this list from time to time.   That was released via DECUS, and I've seen those bits in the past.   The problem always was that the runtime code (algol.rts) showed up only as a binary, no sources.

It looks like I have a copy of the sources.   Would there be interest in that?   This is for RSTS (as a runtime system) though the I/O is pretty simple and could presumably be adjusted for some other OS if anyone wants to.

By the way, I don't remember ever seeing a manual for the language implemented by that compiler.   It turns out the best reference for that would be a manual for one of the Burroughs mainframes (say, the B5500 or B6700), which can be found on Bitsavers.   The implementation actually compiles for P-code that resembles the machine code of those machines, except for using 16 bit words rather than 48/53 bit ones.   The language has a number of large extensions that were taken directly from the I/O and string processing extensions in Burroughs Algol.

	paul