Xref: utzoo comp.lang.misc:6799 comp.arch:21336 Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!dcl-cs!aber-cs!athene!pcg From: pcg@cs.aber.ac.uk (Piercarlo Antonio Grandi) Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc,comp.arch Subject: Re: first class functions Message-ID: Date: 9 Mar 91 21:16:01 GMT References: <3787@bruce.cs.monash.OZ.AU> <1991Mar8.202516.10401@praxis.co.uk> Sender: pcg@aber-cs.UUCP Organization: Coleg Prifysgol Cymru Lines: 61 Nntp-Posting-Host: aberdb In-reply-to: richard@praxis.co.uk's message of 8 Mar 91 20:25:16 GMT On 8 Mar 91 20:25:16 GMT, richard@praxis.co.uk (Richard Wendland) said: richard> chl@cs.man.ac.uk (Charles Lindsey) writes: chl> In fact, I understand that the ALGOL 68RS system does in fact chl> implement the Bekic proposal, or something close to it. richard> Only one of the ALGOL 68RS implementations, on the RSRE Flex richard> architecture, permits procedures without the normal scope richard> restrictions. I don't know of the Bekic proposal; the richard> implementation on Flex uses normal ALGOL 68 syntax, only the richard> scope rules being relaxed. richard> The Flex architecture, designed around 1978, is geared towards richard> efficient implementation by micro-code, as on a Perq. [ ... ] richard> It's a shame Flex did not receive more publicity, as it richard> implemented features much discussed later. Flex is a wonderful thing. The Perq too, a bit less. Both have disappeared without trace. Reasons? * They are not MSDOS/8086 compatible. :-) :-(. * They are not BSD/SysV compatible. :-) :-(. * The Perq's a dog in terms of performance (not "RISC" :->). * Three Rivers did not get bought out by HP like Apollo. * Every week one of the few surviving Algol 68 programmers dies. * RSRE is a very secretive military installation; the Flex was, I suspect, mainly designed for highly secure military purposes. At times I suspect that the following two reasons are also relevant: * The Perq was licensed by ICL. I don't believe in superstition, but ICL sponsorship used to be something like a kiss of death. :-) :-(. * The few surviving British computer architects have never been good at PR, nor have ever given a damn about it (look at Manchester's MUSS for another example). That's why so few are left. :-( :-). At times I suspect they are not, as for example also MDL and KeyKOS (in a sense the USA alter ego of Flex; written in PL/1, running on 370s :->) are sunk almost without trace. I renew here my usual call: if the authors of Algol 68C or Algol 68RS are listening, please get in touch with me. I want to try to persuade you to release those compilers to the FSF. If either Algol 68C or Algol 68RS were GPL'ed and posted to comp.sources :-) I think a lot of people, especially in the USA, would be literally stunned, and Algol 68 would become very much popular. The dream of a lifetime... -- Piercarlo Grandi | ARPA: pcg%uk.ac.aber@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk Dept of CS, UCW Aberystwyth | UUCP: ...!mcsun!ukc!aber-cs!pcg Penglais, Aberystwyth SY23 3BZ, UK | INET: pcg@aber.ac.uk