Cramer and Strauss hybrid oriented language(ID:3958/cra001)Cramer and Strauss, 1965, Electronic Associates from paper "Interactive language system created specifically for scientists and engineers engaged in preparation, setup, control, and monitoring of hybrid computations. Through a special console or a generalized input/output device, the user is afforded immediate access to both a computational process (software), and computation equipment (hardware). The language combines a complete algebraic interpreter with an expandable command and control repertoire. Through the latter, the language system may be made to perform a variety of special tasks, peculiar to the user, the equipment, or the installation." References: system created specifically for scientists and engineers engaged in preparation, setup, control, and monitoring of hybrid computations. Through a special console or a generalized input/output device, the user is afforded immediate access to both a computational process (software), and computation equipment (hardware). The language combines a complete algebraic interpreter with an expandable command and control repertoire. Through the latter, the language system may be made to perform a variety of special tasks, peculiar to the user, the equipment, or the installation. The language is designed specifically to facilitate implementation of an interpretive processor on a small digital computer in a hybrid configuration. This does not mean to imply, however, that the design is in any way limited to small computers. Rather, the intrinsic expandability of the language makes it possible to have a single communication medium that is upwards com- patible across the whole spectrum of computer capabil- ity. The use of this programming system provides the hybrid computer analyst with great on-line flexibility coupled with a substantial reduction in the bother- some detail normally associated with digital computer programming. The overriding consideration in the design of this inter-active language is that communication between the user and the system proceeds wholly on a request-re- sponse basis. That is, the user initiates a request and the system responds. This response may be passive, calling for another request; or active, calling for a user reaction to a system response. The user'specifications are designed to be as terse as possible and still be reason- ably readable. This affords high information density on input and is very much oriented for on-line typewriter use by a possibly inexperienced typist. The system responses are somewhat more verbose in order that the user can assimilate the information rapidly and make decisions concerning the proper course of action. Provi- sion is made, however, for the user to include extra information (i.e., more characters, spaces, and retriev- able comments) so that he can expand the input specifi- cation to any desired level of readability. The language exhibits the characteristics of two pioneering efforts in interactive time-shared process- ing 1,2. The dialect of the language described is designed for communication through a teletype station* with a small-scale digital computer. The character set em- ployed and much of the discussion are pointed towards this particular configuration. Another dialect has been designed for remote console inter-action with a large time-shared computer; this includes all the capabilities presented here and contains, in addition, higher order functions to facilitate automation of hybrid computer static and dynamic check calculations. These additional features will be presented in a future paper. The interactive aspect of the language design de- serves further clarification; i.e., the language is designed to aid those portions of digital and hybrid computer programming and operation that by their very nature require human intervention. It does not pretend to solve, or even aid in, the problem of representing the digital portion of a hybrid computer simulation pro- gram. Rather, the language and associated interpretive system serve very nicely as an interactive communi- cation medium for a problem oriented representation language for hybrid simulation. Such a language is now being designed by a standard specification committee of Simulation Councils Incorporated in [ACM] Proceedings of the 21st ACM National Conference 1966 view details designed for scientists and engineers engaged in the preparation, setup, control, monitoring and execution of hybrid computations. Through the console typewriter of a small or medium scale digital computer or perhaps a remote terminal of a time-shared system, the user is given access to both the hardware and software components of the hybrid complex. in [ACM] CACM 9(07) July 1966 view details |