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Language peer sets for EDSAC Initial Orders:
United Kingdom↑
United Kingdom/1948↑
Designed 1948 ↑
1940s languages ↑
First generation↑
Immediate Post-War↑
Genus Initial orders ↑
Excluded from Sammet ↑
Initial orders↑
Assemblers↑
Fixed operation ↑
Initial orders/1948↑
Assemblers/1948↑
Fixed operation/1948↑
Initial orders/United Kingdom↑
Assemblers/United Kingdom↑
Fixed operation/United Kingdom↑
Excluded from Sammet ↑
Excluded from Sammet/1948↑
Excluded from Sammet/uk ↑

EDSAC Initial Orders(ID:3411/eds002)

First ever assembler system 

alternate simple view
Country: United Kingdom
Designed 1948
Published: 1951
Genus: Initial orders
Sammet category: Excluded from Sammet

Assembler with abstraction designed by Wheeler for the EDSAC computer. EDSAC was based on EDVAC, and the Intial Orders system was the first Highish-level (ie faintly abstractive) language for a Von Neumann architecure machine.

IO was hugely influential in developing the first generalised languages. The "Initial Orders" allowed EDSAC to be programmed symbolically instead of directly using machine code: the "orders" referred to were what would now be referred to as an "instruction set". After the library system was published in Wilkes, Wheeler and Gill the use of higher level instructions became universal, (and indirectly led to greater machine incompatibility!).

The system was essentially designed by Wheeler, who create not only the first library system in it, but also the first Jump statement (to make it possible) (and therefore the goto!)

Wilkes systematised the orders to the regional assembly, and that led to most modern symbolic assemblers, so in fact the IO was the beginning of two importantant programming traditions.

Wilkes, Wheeler and Gill was the first ever programming book.


People:
Related languages
ENIAC short code → EDSAC Initial Orders   Influence
EDSAC Initial Orders → ASSEMBLY   Incorporated features of
EDSAC Initial Orders → DOI   Based on
EDSAC Initial Orders → EMAL assembly   Incorporated features of
EDSAC Initial Orders → MOSAIC autocode   Based on
EDSAC Initial Orders → RAL   Systematisation
EDSAC Initial Orders → Sequentielle Formelübersetzung   Incorporated features of
EDSAC Initial Orders → TAC initial orders   Extension of
EDSAC Initial Orders → TREAC Autocode   Based on
EDSAC Initial Orders → Whirlwind   Influence
References:
  • Wilkes, MV (1949) Wilkes, MV "Report of a Conference on High Speed Automatic Calculating-machines", University Mathematical Laboratory, Cambridge, June 1949;
  • Gill S. (1950) Gill S. "A Process for the Step-by-Step Integrations of Differential Equations in an Automatic Digital Computing Machine" Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, communicated by M. V. Wilkes, 1950
  • Wheeler, David (1950) Wheeler, David "Programme organization and initial orders for the EDSAC" Proceedings of the Royal Society 202 1950
  • Wilkes, M. V. (1950) Wilkes, M. V. "Automatic Computing." (Summer School Report) p292
          in (1950) Summer School Report Nature vol 166
  • Wilkes, M. V. (1950) Wilkes, M. V. "The Use of the EDSAC for Mathematical Computation." p429
          in (1950) Applied Science Research Bulletin vol 1 (1950).
  • Wilkes, M. V., Renwick, W. (1950) Wilkes, M. V., Renwick, W. "The EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator.)" p61
          in (1950) MTAC vol 4 (1950)
  • Wilkes, M. V. (1951) Wilkes, M. V. "Automatic Calculating Machines." p56
          in Journal Roy. (1951) Journal Roy. Soc. of Arts vol 100 (1951)
  • Wilkes, M. V. (1951) Wilkes, M. V. "Can Machines Think?"
          in Spectator No. (1951) Spectator No. 6424 vol 117 (10 Aug 1951)
  • Wilkes, M. (1951) Wilkes, M. V., Wheeler, D. J. and Gill, S. The Preparation of Programs for an Electronic Digital Computer. Addison-Wesley 1951
          in Spectator No. (1951) Spectator No. 6424 vol 117 (10 Aug 1951)
  • Wilkes, M. V. (1952) Wilkes, M. V. "Pure and Applied Programming" p121
          in Proc. (1952) Proc. ACM Toronto Meeting 1952
  • Wilkes (1952) Wilkes, M. V. `The EDSAC Computer' page 79.
          in [JCC 01] (1952) [JCC 01] Joint AIEE-IRE Computer Conference Proceedings February 1952
  • Brooker, R. A., and D. J. Wheeler, (1953) Brooker, R. A., and D. J. Wheeler, "Floating operations on the EDSAC" pp37-47
          in (1953) Mathematical Tables and Other Aids to Computation 7
  • Brooker, R. A., and D. J. Wheeler, (1953) Brooker, R. A., and D. J. Wheeler, "Floating operations on the EDSAC" pp37-47
          in (1953) Mathematical Tables and Other Aids to Computation 7
  • Wilkes, M. V. (1953) Wilkes, M. V. "Calculating Machine Development at Cambridge"
          in Bowden B.V. (ed.) (1953) Bowden B.V. (ed.) "Faster Than Thought: A Symposium on Digital Computing Machines" Pitman 1953
  • Wilkes, M. (1953) Wilkes, M. V. `Experiences D'Operations Effectuees Avec l'EDSAC.'
          in [Proceedings] (1953) Report of the Conference on `Les Machines a Calcules et la Pensee Humaine.' CNRS, Paris (1953).
  • Wilkes, M. V., Phister, M., Barton, S. A. (1953) Wilkes, M. V., Phister, M., Barton, S. A. "Experience with Marginal Checking and Automatic Routining of the EDSAC" p239
          in Automatic Digital Computation NPL Symposium 1953, (1954) Automatic Digital Computation NPL Symposium 1953, . London, HMSO (1954).
  • Wilkes, M. V., Phister, M., Barton, S. A. (1953) Wilkes, M. V., Phister, M., Barton, S. A. "Experience with Marginal Checking and Automatic Routining of the EDSAC" p66
          in (1953) IRE Convention Record Part 7 (1953)
  • Wilkes & Willis (1956) Wilkes & Willis [Description of EDSAC] Proc IEE 103B Supplement N.2 p337 (1956)
          in (1953) IRE Convention Record Part 7 (1953)
  • Wilkes, M.V.; Wheeler, D.J. and Gill, S. (1957) Wilkes, M.V.; Wheeler, D.J. and Gill, S. "The preparation of programs for an electronic digital computer" 2nd edition Addison-Wesley, Reading Mass. 1957
          in (1953) IRE Convention Record Part 7 (1953)
  • Sammet, Jean E. (1969) Sammet, Jean E. "Computer Languages - Principles and History" Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice-Hall 1969.
          in (1953) IRE Convention Record Part 7 (1953)
  • Campbell-Kelly, Martin (1980) Campbell-Kelly, Martin "Programming the EDSAC: Early Programming Activity at the University of Cambridge" pp. 7-36
          in (1980) Annals of the History of Computing 02(1)
  • Wheeler, D. J. (1987) Wheeler, D. J. "Programmed computing at the Universities of Cambridge and Illinois in the early fifties" pp53-58
          in (1987) Proceedings of the ACM conference on History of Scientific and Numeric Computation Princeton NJ 1987
  • Wheeler, Joyce M. (1992) Wheeler, Joyce M. "Applications of the EDSAC" Abstract
          in (1992) Annals of the History of Computing October-December 1992 14(4)
  • Wheeler, David (2001) Wheeler, David "Events in the early history of the Computer Laboratory" - Notes by David Wheeler, additional material by David Hartley
          in (1992) Annals of the History of Computing October-December 1992 14(4)
  • Hook et al (2002) Diana H. Hook; Jeremy M. Norman; Michael R. Williams "Origins of Cyberspace" Jeremy Norman 2002 Extract: Initial Orders
          in (1992) Annals of the History of Computing October-December 1992 14(4)
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