Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!decuac!macom1!rikki
From: rikki@macom1.UUCP (Rikki L. Welsh (decuac!macom1!rikki))
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: The history of C (was Re: C critisisms)
Message-ID: <2811@macom1.UUCP>
Date: 15 Jan 88 15:14:40 GMT
References: <883@micomvax.UUCP>
Organization: CENTEL Business Information Systems INC.,Rockville, MD.
Lines: 55

From article <883@micomvax.UUCP>, by ray@micomvax.UUCP (Ray Dunn):
> Since posting my article on BCPL agreeing with Eric Raymond's view that the
> name stands for "British Common Programming Language" (or in fact as I just
> type this, it occurs to me that it was "British Computer Programming
> Language"!!),  I have seen several postings which lead me to believe that
> perhaps the picture is being confused by two DIFFERENT languages called
> BCPL, perhaps one in the UK and one in the US.  This was the thought which
> stopped me posting an earlier response on the subject until I saw Eric's
> article.
> 
> Somehow though I don't think so, as the BCPL I new in the 60's/70's WAS
> a language designed for system programming.  Really digging into the
> haze of time, was it developed in London?  Imperial College??  I still
> think the designer's name was Hendry.
> 
> Any further authoritative comments from the net?  In particular, was the
> predecessor of B developed in the US or the UK??
> 
> Ray Dunn.  ..philabs!micomvax!ray

I don't have any of the previous traffic on this item, so I apologize if
I'm repeating anything that went before but:

I have a copy of "The Programming Language B" by Johnson and Kernighan
(Bell Labs CS Tech Rept #8, Jan 1973).  The intro states:

"B is a new computer language designed and implemented at Murray Hill.
It runs and is actively supported and documented on the H6070 TSS
system at Murray Hill...

B is reminiscent of BCPL[2], for those who can remember.  The original
design and implementation are the work of K. L. Thompson and D. M.
Ritchie; and their original 6070 version has been substantially improved
by S. C. Johnson, who also wrote the runtime library."

The references might help in answering your BCPL questions:

[1] Richards, M. "The BCPL Reference Manual."  Multics repository M0099.

[2] Canaday, R.H, and Ritchie, D.M. "Bell Laboratories BCPL." (Bell
Laboratories Memorandum)

[3] Kernighan, B.W. "A Tutorial Introduction to the Language B." (Bell
Laboratories Memorandum).

Sorry I can't help you any tracking any of them down (afraid I'm just not
interested.).  I got my copy of the B manual a few years ago simply by
calling the library at Murray Hill and asking for it.  Some anonymous but
very helpful person mailed it to me.

-- 
Rikki Welsh
Centel Information Systems
5515 Security Lane, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, (301) 984-3636
UUCP:	decuac!macom1!rikki