[HECnet] PDP-11 Algol

[Steve Davidson]

Data General wrote their FORTRAN compilers in Algol (or was it Algol 68)...   As a result their implementation had recursion.   Few Fortran compiler had recursion.   In college, the compiler class final was write an Algol compiler in the Fortran compiler.   Weird... but fun!

-Steve

________________________________

From: owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE on behalf of hvlems at zonnet.nl
Sent: Tue 1/15/2013 12:15
To: hecnet at Update.UU.SE
Subject: Re: [HECnet] PDP-11 Algol



There was a port of the Burroughs Large Systems algol compiler for RT11.
I have one on a DECtape I.
It compiled test programs that I had written for, and copied from the B7700. Burroughs Extended Algol beats C Bliss hands down as tool to write compilers and os's in.
------Origineel bericht------
Van: Paul_Koning at Dell.com
Afzender: owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE
Aan: hecnet at Update.UU.SE
Beantwoorden: hecnet at Update.UU.SE
Onderwerp: [HECnet] PDP-11 Algol
Verzonden: 15 januari 2013 17:58

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