RE: programming language genealogy

["Newman, Ron" <Ron.Newman@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

does anyone have one of those old plug board?  I am not that old

Ron Newman
Sr. Programmer Analyst
IBM - Certified Programmer 
MHC
1524 North Corrington
Kansas City, MO 64120
816.242.6273
"All my life I wanted to be somebody.
Now I see that I should have been more specific."



-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Paris [mailto:Jon.Paris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 2:45 PM
To: rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: programming language genealogy 


 >> The direct predecessor of RPG (I) was the plugboard for the 407
accounting machine, which is arguably not a programming language.


Which is exactly what was meant by tabulators (or tabs) which was the
generic term used by those who did not live in an IBM centric universe.
i.e. those of us who programmed Hollerith, British Tab, or ICT equipment.

They were certainly programmed.  In addition to the wires, the "language"
one used was often a crude form of Anglo-Saxon <grin>.  Since the RPG
"language" was very directly aimed at emulating the 407's functions - it is
after all where we get the RPG cycle and indicators from - I think you have
to count it as a language and place it directly in the time line.  No other
language (to my knowledge).  At one time there was some form of conversion
routine whereby you described the plugboard programming and it generated
RPG.  Or did you plug the board into a device and it worked it out?  Getting
too old and suffering from CRS these days so I can't recall the exact
details.

I'll give you the /free argument <g>

Jon Paris
Partner400
www.Partner400.com


_______________________________________________
This is the RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries (RPG400-L) mailing list
To post a message email: RPG400-L@xxxxxxxxxxxx
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change list options,
visit: http://lists.midrange.com/mailman/listinfo/rpg400-l
or email: RPG400-L-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Before posting, please take a moment to review the archives
at http://archive.midrange.com/rpg400-l.