In article <AF734804-B1B9E@128.143.7.209>,
>...
>...
>adoption showed the hunger for something better. I used Ratfor
... ratfor and books like Software Tools ...
...
HOORAY for Software Tools, both the book and the
Lawrence Berkeley Labs (up hill from Berkeley) software system that
implemented it all for the vax, and the effort
at U Ariz that moved it to the DEC-10 & 20!
Had a "cc", macro preprocessor, grep, sh, etc, etc.
At my site we (well, a consultant who REALLY knew
his stuff) added a bunch of stuff to it. Like Recursion.
You'd write this recursive code much as in algol etc,
the macro processor would see it and generate special
code to be seen only by the ratfor "compiler", which
would then generate humongous computed go-to, etc, etc,
maintain stacks for args, locals, etc.
Turned a compu-serv (then t/s company) dec-10 into
an incredible workhorse -- same later for 2060 elsewhere.
Thanks to dave hanson then at Ariz, debbie & others at LBL,
and (of course!) Brian K for the book(s). (Oh, please write
some more, pretty please?).
Man, did they advance the ease of getting things done
via computer!
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