TSS/8 ALGOL
pj
http://www.bitsavers.org/DEC/pdp8/papertapeImages/set3/) into the SIMH
PDP-8 emulator running TSS/8 using PUTR. I get an INPUT ERROR which
I've traced down to a checksum error. Anyone else try this? Is there
another copy of TSS/8 ALGOL available somewhere?
Many thanks in advance!
Al Kossow
Which tape image file are you having problems with? I still have the
originals, and can reread them. I can also check if that tape had a human
readable leader, which may have to be skipped over.
Al Kossow
I reread the tapes this morning, images can be found at
http://www.bitsavers.org/DEC/pdp8/papertapeImages/set7_20040310/
The program writeup is in
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/decus/
Tim Radde
I can't imagine why anyone would want to run Algol, especially under TSS/8.
I remember doing that long ago on a real system, but I did not really know
Algol then, and was just curious. Later on I got to use it, and all I can
say is it's not my favorite programming language. Maybe you're just out to
have some fun. Good luck with it.
pj
The image file is "decus8-330_tss8algol.bin". That would be great...
these tapes may be the only ones in existance. Thanks!
glen herrmannsfeldt
> I can't imagine why anyone would want to run Algol, especially under TSS/8.
> I remember doing that long ago on a real system, but I did not really know
> Algol then, and was just curious. Later on I got to use it, and all I can
> say is it's not my favorite programming language. Maybe you're just out to
> have some fun. Good luck with it.
I think Algol is a fine language, though not
so popular these days. I would rather use it on
a larger, faster, machine than a PDP-8, though.
-- glen
Jan van Mastbergen
late great Edsger Dijkstra once pointed out `It was indeed a great
achievement, in that it was a significant advance over most of its
successors'.
Jan van Mastbergen
"glen herrmannsfeldt" <g...@ugcs.caltech.edu> wrote in message
news:vYL3c.100091$ko6.794107@attbi_s02...
pj
Yes, I'm in a nostalgic mood... I first explored computers on a TSS/8
system many years ago.
pj
Thanks Al... I'll try it out!!!
Tim Radde
I did not mean to offend anyone in my comment. I am sure in it's day Algol
was very useful. I even tried it myself on TSS/8 a very long time ago. I
just never got used to it. I preferred assembly language in those days.
It is fun to look back on old system for a bit of nostalgia. Was that TSS/8
system an 8e or an 8i like the one I had access to? I'd like to actually run
TSS/8 on one of my systems just once to bring back those fond memories. Alas
I don't have the storage device to do it nor do I have the full images for a
real system.
Tim R
pj
No offense taken at all. I tinkered with Algol way back then, but
also preferred assembly. The system was an 8E. If you'd like to
relive those memories, take a visit to http://simh.trailing-edge.com/
for the SIMH simulators. You'll find pre-built simulators and
software including TSS/8 and OS/8.
pj
That was it! Works now, thanks Al!!
For those interested, I used the following to load TSS/8 ALGOL into
the SIMH PDP-8 simulator running TSS/8:
1. Download Al's TSS/8 ALGOL from
http://www.bitsavers.org/DEC/pdp8/papertapeImages/set7_20040310/8-330_tss8AlgolComp.bin
to the folder containing SIMH
2. Attach the file to the "paper tape reader":
sim> attach -r PTR 8-330_tss8AlgolComp.bin
3. Log into the TSS/8 librarian account [0,2]
4. Read in ALGOL:
.R PUTR
*COPY ALGOL.SAV=PTR:/SAV
^
NONAME.
*EXIT
^BS
.
Note: press return at the PUTR '^' prompt.
5. Logout
Now you can create source files with EDIT. To run:
.R ALGOL
INPUT: source
OUTPUT: <press return>
Graham Reid
able to get
it to work.
Fortunately, I found out that a local teacher traing college had a copy of
the Rogalgol system on their 8K PDP8e.
This helped my programming skills, as I had not yet heard of the concept of
pseudo-code, or the 'bootstrap' compiler approach. (Fresh from decompiling
Pal3, Focal and the FPP, this was another piece of software I digested!)
There was an Integer Algol compiler & runTime system, and the full-blown
system, but at the time I was only able to get copies of the Integer
system - quite time-consuming on a Teletype!
I still have the listings and the paper tape somewhere.
A few years ago, I found the complete and updated package on the web, and
was able to make a full copy, against the mythical occasion when I have
enough spare time to indulge in nostalgia!
As regards it's use, Algol of course was a way of publishing algorithms - I
think the only other candidate at the time was Fortran.
Regards, Graham
"pj" <pj_...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2dd95306.04031...@posting.google.com...
huw.d...@kerberos.davies.net.au
> I did not mean to offend anyone in my comment. I am sure in it's day Algol
> was very useful.
Basically all the significant programming assignments I did in third
year Computer Science were written in Algol-60 for the DECsystem-10. This
was in 1975 (eek, this is nearly 30 years ago). We also did some
assignments in SNOBOL, MACRO-10 and COBOL but Algol-10 was my favorite.
If you overcame the issue that there was no standard I/O primatives
defined in the Algol-60 standard and avoided some of the more
obscure "features" Algol-60 would still make a reasonable 3GL
even today - it's certainly better than most of the other languages
that are about 45 years old.
Of course, when I could choose the language, I much preferred BCPL,
Algol-68 and BLISS-10 (not necessarily in that order :-)
--
Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.D...@kerberos.davies.net.au
Melbourne | "If soccer was meant to be played in the
Australia | air, the sky would be painted green"
Bob Adamson
assembled it in an os-8 system. As a backburner job I'm trying to get it
running but no documentation and sparse source comments don't make it
easy. The compiler itself was written by Roger Abbott (now deceased) but I
managed to track down his website at
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/rhaminisys/algol60.html and also someone who
used to work with him so I'm hopeful. I'd welcome any documentation you
may have on it.
Bob Adamson
bobDOTadamsonATsli-instituteDOTacDOTuk
I used this Algol variant in circa 1972 on an 8E for