OUR EXPERT
Mike Bedford has impressive knowledge of programming languages, but this month he’s turned his hand to natural languages, too.
Following our recent exposé of several classic programming languages – most of them F largely forgotten or quirky – we delved into Fortran last month. Despite its age, the name is still familiar among coders and, although it was primitive in its initial guise, it would be wrong to describe it as peculiar. In fact, it was influential in the development of some of today’s most popular languages. Not only that, but it still plays an important role today. However, Fortran isn’t alone in that respect.
Here we’re delving into another positively ancient language that continues to play a key role in so many areas. And to illustrate that the language genuinely is from a long-gone era, we only have to mention the names of the computer manufacturers who were involved in its joint development. Of course, IBM played a part, but so did Burroughs, Minneapolis-Honeywell, RCA, Sperry-Rand and Sylvania, all now barely remembered as computer companies. That language is COBOL – COmmon Business Oriented Language – and while it’s only two years younger than Fortran, first seeing the light of day in 1959, in most other respects it couldn’t be more different.
Coboled together
A survey of the people who have brought us the hardware and software developments that shaped modern life tends to reveal job descriptions such as engineer, physicist, academic, mathematician, computer scientist or entrepreneur. Rarely do we come across the description rear admiral, United States Navy, but that’s all about to change as we introduce Grace Hopper. OK, we do have to admit that she was also a computer scientist and mathematician,
