PLANIT(ID:296/pla013)

Umich/SDC CAI language 


for Programming LANguage for Interaction and Teaching.

CAI language University of Michigan and Systems Development Corporation, Santa Monica, California



Related languages
PLANIT => The Message System   Influence

References:
  • Feingold, S L "PLANIT- a flexible language designed for computerhuman interaction" SDC document SP-2840 view details
  • Feingold, S.L. "PLANIT A Flexible Language Designed for Computer-Human Interaction" view details Abstract: Interactive use of computers in instruction is increasing rapidly. Many manufacturers are promoting programming languages for educational applications of their equipment, and some are marketing small machines with software exclusively for instructional applications. Nearly 30 languages and dialects have been developed especially for programming conversational instruction1 but within this group there are actually only three or four different kinds of languages, and despite the variety, many of the differences between the languages are superficial, leaving some user needs still unmet.

          in [AFIPS] Proceedings of the 1967 Fall Joint Computer Conference FJCC 31 view details
  • Feingold, Samuel L. "PLANIT - a language for CAI" pp41-47 view details
          in Datamation 14(09) September 1968 view details
  • Frye, Chaqrles H. "CAI languages; capabilities and applications" pp34-37 view details
          in Datamation 14(09) September 1968 view details
  • Kanner, Joseph H. "CAI - the new demonology?" pp38-40 view details
          in Datamation 14(09) September 1968 view details
  • Rogers, James L. "Current problems in CAI" pp28-33 view details
          in Datamation 14(09) September 1968 view details
  • Zinn, Karl L. "Instructional uses of interactive computer systems" pp22-27 view details
          in Datamation 14(09) September 1968 view details
  • Zinn, Karl L. "Programming conversational use of computers for instruction" view details Extract: Description
    The decision frame and calculation mode in PLANIT make it suitable for programming conversation in a less constrained mode.
          in Morrell, A. J. H. (Ed.): Information Processing 68, Proceedings of IFIP Congress 1968, Edinburgh, UK, 5-10 August 1968 view details
  • Sammet, Jean E. "Computer Languages - Principles and History" Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice-Hall 1969. p.706. view details
          in Morrell, A. J. H. (Ed.): Information Processing 68, Proceedings of IFIP Congress 1968, Edinburgh, UK, 5-10 August 1968 view details
  • Gerber, T. L. review of Datamation articles view details Abstract: It is appropriate that these five articles. which were published as a group, be reviewed as a group. Each author in his own way attested to the immaturity of the concepts and implementations of CAI. As a group. they present a short useful review of the 1968 condition of CAI, which holds true in the main today. The reader should be cautioned that what some of the writers say seems to be influenced by a) backgrounds in programmed instruction, b) strong commitment to the behaviorist viewpoint, or c) involvement in specific aspects of CAI development, such as PLANIT.

    Kanner warns, the future use of computer-assisted instruction must be based on the possession of advantages economic. administrative, and learning, which these other existing methods do not have." It could be that improvement in hardware cost would give CAI an economic advantage before today's primitive systems evolved sufficiently. This would saddle us with low-cost CAI frozen into undesirable forms.

    Rogers details many of the problems addicting CAI today. including:

    1) danger of educators being swamped by information;

    2) limitations upon the kinds of materials which can be presented;

    3) limitations on student responses; and

    4) lack of quality course material caused by shortage of qualified people to produce them and by the tortuous process of production.

    He does not mention other problems such as the rigidity in presentation which often makes users of CAI uncomfortable, or the excessive identification of CAI with programmed instruction and related approaches, or the sometimes encountered assumption that there is an ideal learning sequence. In an attempt to influence favorably future work in CAI, Rogers has given five suggestions for future developments (see page 33.)

    Zinn produces a limited historical review of CAI without an accompanying penetrating analysis. Considering his length of experience in the area of CAI, this lack is disappointing.

    Feingold writes an explanatory/promotional article on PLANIT, of interest to anyone who wishes to see whether it is worthwhile to learn more about the language.

    Fry attempts an objective review of CAI languages, but trips over the bias resulting from his coauthoring of PLANIT. On page 37 he has a list of contact people for 21 CAI languages. For some readers, this list will be more valuable than all the expository material.
          in ACM Computing Reviews 11(02) February 1970 view details
  • Smith, Lyle B. "A Survey of Interactive Graphical Systems for Mathematics" view details Extract: PLANIT
    Feingold (1967)-- describes a language, PLANIT (Programming LANguage for Interaction and Teaching), developed at Systems Development Corporation, Santa Monica, California. PLANIT is written in the JOVIAL language and used on the IBM AN/ FSQ-32 V computer;

          in [ACM] ACM Computing Surveys 2(4) Dec1970 view details
  • Stock, Karl F. "A listing of some programming languages and their users" in RZ-Informationen. Graz: Rechenzentrum Graz 1971 191 view details Abstract: 321 Programmiersprachen mit Angabe der Computer-Hersteller, auf deren Anlagen die entsprechenden Sprachen verwendet werden kennen. Register der 74 Computer-Firmen; Reihenfolge der Programmiersprachen nach der Anzahl der Herstellerfirmen, auf deren Anlagen die Sprache implementiert ist; Reihenfolge der Herstellerfirmen nach der Anzahl der verwendeten Programmiersprachen.

    [321 programming languages with indication of the computer manufacturers, on whose machinery the appropriate languages are used to know.  Register of the 74 computer companies;  Sequence of the programming languages after the number of manufacturing firms, on whose plants the language is implemented;  Sequence of the manufacturing firms after the number of used programming languages.]
          in [ACM] ACM Computing Surveys 2(4) Dec1970 view details
  • Rosen, S. "Programming Systems and Languages 1965-1975" view details Abstract: In spite of impressive gains by PL/I, Fortran and Cobol remain the languages in which most of the world's production programs are written and will remain so into the foreseeable future. There is a great deal of theoretical interest in Algol 68 and in extensible languages, but so far at least they have had little practical impact. Problem-oriented languages may very well become the most important language development area in the next five to ten years. In the operating system area all major computer manufacturers set out to produce very ambitious multiprogramming systems, and they all ran into similar problems. A number of university projects, though not directly comparable to those of the manufacturers, have contributed greatly to a better understanding of operating system principles. Important trends include the increased interest in the development of system measurement and evaluation techniques, and increased use of microprogramming for some programming system functions. DOI
          in [ACM] CACM 15(07) (July 1972) view details
  • Frederick, Terry J. "Test-site evaluation of ICU/PLANIT" view details Abstract: PLANIT (Programming LANguage for Interactive Teaching) is a language used by authors to generate instructional sequences which are accessed by students via a computer. The Instructor's Computer Utility or ICU/PLANIT is the complete software system which makes PLANIT operational. This system is intended to function either as the sole operating system for the target machine or in co-operation with other operating systems. In August 1972, the National Science Foundation selected Purdue University as a test-site for an analysis and evaluation of ICU/PLANIT. Near the end of 1972, the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory and Dr. Frye contracted with NSF for further PLANIT development and interaction between the test-site and PLANIT development was established.

          in [ACM] Proceedings of the 1973 annual ACM conference Atlanta, Georgia, United States view details
  • Sammet, Jean E. "Roster of Programming Languages for 1973" p147 view details
          in ACM Computing Reviews 15(04) April 1974 view details
  • Stock, Marylene and Stock, Karl F. "Bibliography of Programming Languages: Books, User Manuals and Articles from PLANKALKUL to PL/I" Verlag Dokumentation, Pullach/Munchen 1973 462 view details Abstract: PREFACE  AND  INTRODUCTION
    The exact number of all the programming languages still in use, and those which are no longer used, is unknown. Zemanek calls the abundance of programming languages and their many dialects a "language Babel". When a new programming language is developed, only its name is known at first and it takes a while before publications about it appear. For some languages, the only relevant literature stays inside the individual companies; some are reported on in papers and magazines; and only a few, such as ALGOL, BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN, and PL/1, become known to a wider public through various text- and handbooks. The situation surrounding the application of these languages in many computer centers is a similar one.

    There are differing opinions on the concept "programming languages". What is called a programming language by some may be termed a program, a processor, or a generator by others. Since there are no sharp borderlines in the field of programming languages, works were considered here which deal with machine languages, assemblers, autocoders, syntax and compilers, processors and generators, as well as with general higher programming languages.

    The bibliography contains some 2,700 titles of books, magazines and essays for around 300 programming languages. However, as shown by the "Overview of Existing Programming Languages", there are more than 300 such languages. The "Overview" lists a total of 676 programming languages, but this is certainly incomplete. One author ' has already announced the "next 700 programming languages"; it is to be hoped the many users may be spared such a great variety for reasons of compatibility. The graphic representations (illustrations 1 & 2) show the development and proportion of the most widely-used programming languages, as measured by the number of publications listed here and by the number of computer manufacturers and software firms who have implemented the language in question. The illustrations show FORTRAN to be in the lead at the present time. PL/1 is advancing rapidly, although PL/1 compilers are not yet seen very often outside of IBM.

    Some experts believe PL/1 will replace even the widely-used languages such as FORTRAN, COBOL, and ALGOL.4) If this does occur, it will surely take some time - as shown by the chronological diagram (illustration 2) .

    It would be desirable from the user's point of view to reduce this language confusion down to the most advantageous languages. Those languages still maintained should incorporate the special facets and advantages of the otherwise superfluous languages. Obviously such demands are not in the interests of computer production firms, especially when one considers that a FORTRAN program can be executed on nearly all third-generation computers.

    The titles in this bibliography are organized alphabetically according to programming language, and within a language chronologically and again alphabetically within a given year. Preceding the first programming language in the alphabet, literature is listed on several languages, as are general papers on programming languages and on the theory of formal languages (AAA).
    As far as possible, the most of titles are based on autopsy. However, the bibliographical description of sone titles will not satisfy bibliography-documentation demands, since they are based on inaccurate information in various sources. Translation titles whose original titles could not be found through bibliographical research were not included. ' In view of the fact that nany libraries do not have the quoted papers, all magazine essays should have been listed with the volume, the year, issue number and the complete number of pages (e.g. pp. 721-783), so that interlibrary loans could take place with fast reader service. Unfortunately, these data were not always found.

    It is hoped that this bibliography will help the electronic data processing expert, and those who wish to select the appropriate programming language from the many available, to find a way through the language Babel.

    We wish to offer special thanks to Mr. Klaus G. Saur and the staff of Verlag Dokumentation for their publishing work.

    Graz / Austria, May, 1973
          in ACM Computing Reviews 15(04) April 1974 view details
  • Sammet, Jean E "Roster of programming languages for 1976-77" pp56-85 view details
          in SIGPLAN Notices 13(11) Nov 1978 view details