Maurice H. Halstead: Machine Independent Computer Programming

Machine-Independent Computer Programming

Spartan books | 1962 | ISBN N/A | PDF | Pages 270 | 3.85 MB

PREFACE

This text is based upon the lecture notes developed by the author

while teaching an evening course, described as "N eliac, a Dialect

of Algol," for the University of California Extension. This course

was taught twice, in each case to a group which was extremely

heterogeneous, including both experienced programmers and others

who were completely unfamiliar with computers. Further, the

interests of the students varied widely from individual to individual,

including business, engineering, mathematics, and real-time control.

In an effort to interest and challenge all groups simultaneously,

a basic self-compiler written for the purpose was used as the

principal example. This compiler, which is covered in Chapters

5 through 10, served as neutral material from which the novices

in various fields could develop proficiency in both the language

and in the type of thinking required in handling computers, while

at the same time it provided the devotees with the necessary background

from which they themselves soon started suggesting more

efficient routines and improved techniques in the writing of compilers.

The many contributions of these students are gratefully

acknowledged.

From the foregoing it may be seen that this book is designed to

teach the student how to "write to" computers in the Neliac lan

guage, and then to teach him how to "teach" a computer to read

Neliac if it does not already know.

Returning to the preparation of the text, it would not be proper

to confuse the latter with the development of the concepts it describes.

These concepts result from the work of many pioneers in

the computer field, as well as others such as Charleton Laird,

whose penetrating work The Miracle of Language is not concerned

with computers at all. The basic concepts involved were crystalized

primarily at the Navy Electronics Laboratory, where Roger Remple,

Lt. Kleber Masterson, Lt. Comdr. Robert McArthur, Dr. Robert

Goss, Lt. John White, Ens. Arthur Lemay, Sidney and Catherine

Porter, Robert Johnson, Charles Tappella, Herman Englander, Joel

Donnelly and James Warrington each have made contributions to

one or more of the family of Neliac compilers. The work of automatic-

programming experts at other installations, including Prof.

Richard Thatcher, 'Vesley Landon and Dr. W. H. Wattenburg, has

also been of great value, while the advice and inspiration of Prof.

Harry Huskey has been basic to the entire development.

Special thanks are due to Joel Donnelly, Lt. White, Ens. Lemay,

and Sidney and Catherine Porter, and to the Technical Director

of the U. S. Navy Electronics Laboratory for permission to cite

those works given in the appendices.

Finally, the author wishes to apologize for whatever deficiencies

exist in the presentation, asking indulgence on the grounds

that the field of automatic machine-independent programming is

still quite new.