BAL(ID:4895/bal002)

for Banque d'ALgorithmes

extensions to FORTRAN to permit a user-callable set of algorithms, makes heavy use of a structured system with preprocessing. The system is designed to have different mechanisms available to different sorts of users.

The system allowed for a strange kind of polymorphism, whereby there were multiple variations of standard algorithms, each developed with a particular purpose in mind. A generlaisation of this system from the area of CAD and engineering to the larger problem of scientific programming was envisaged.

Main additional features are:
ALGOLBAL - introduce algorithm to the bank
TYBAL - create catenation module
DIRBAL - create general purpose module
SELBAL - select an (catenation) instance of an algorithm

A nice unintended feature of BAL is that programmers become "bank managers" rather than "librarians"!!
Related languages
FORTRAN IV => BAL   Extension of
BAL => DeBuMa   Extension of
References:
  • Blain G., La Barthe A., Rault J.C., Sciardis M., Zamansky P. "BAL: an aid for scientific programming based upon a bank of algorithms" view details
          in Rosenfeld, Jack L. (Ed.): Information Processing 74, Proceedings of IFIP Congress 74, Stockholm, Sweden, August 5-10, 1974 view details
  • Blain G., La Barthe, A., Rault J.C., Zamansky P. "BAL: an aid to scientific application programming" pp144-168 view details
          in Proceedings of the Workshop on General Purpose CAD systems, C.E.R.T., Toulouse, Dec. 1974 view details
  • Blain, G.; La Barthe, A. and J.-C. Rault: "Utilisation d'un langage extensible pour la creation et la question d'une banque d'algorithmes. La système BAL", Final report, Contract SFSORI n' 73 007 August 1974, THOMSON-CSF, Paris, France. view details
          in Proceedings of the Workshop on General Purpose CAD systems, C.E.R.T., Toulouse, Dec. 1974 view details
  • Blain, G.; Labarthe, A. and Rault, J. C. "The system BAL: a technique for spreading the use of CAD techniques within an industrial environment" p77-84 view details Abstract: Promoting CAD techniques within industry encounters usually three stumbling blocks: - the use of conventional computer tools requires acquaintance with intricate “indications for use” with too much of a computer flavor. Potential users are reluctant to accept this “unnecessary” burden which might make their job more difficult and wipe out expected gains in time and efficiency. - cost for using and developping computer tools is, as a rule, high. Frequently, this cost is perceived by users, having to operate with a tight budget, as mere extra expenses to be added to those entailed by the different steps in their specific engineering work. - there is common tendency among engineers to consider their work as very specific and not amenable to general methods. In particular, non-creative steps in the design process are underestimated; design engineers are confident in their ability to easily create, in due time, the tools, and especially computing tools, that they will need. A “distressing” feature of the above difficulties is that it does not seem feasible to eradicate them simultaneously. As a matter of fact, any solution for eliminating one tends to reenforce the two remaining ones. The BAL system presented in this paper corresponds to a tradeoff taking into account inclinations of software engineers, needs of designers in an industrial environnement, and available financial resources. This systems is aimed at smoothing away the above difficulties in the particular context of the THOMSON-CSF group, a large electronics concern.






          in Proceedings of the 12th Annual ACM IEEE Design Automation Conference 1975 view details
  • Jacquart, R.; Regnier, Ph., Valette, F. R. and Foissau, J. "Current trends in the development of integrated general purpose CAD systems" pp180-188 view details
          in Proceedings of the 12th Annual ACM IEEE Design Automation Conference 1975 view details