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Date: Fri, 24 Jan 1997 18:22:12 -0500
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU>
Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU>
From: Ed Fronczak <edo@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: MAD and Ancient/Dead Computer Languages Site ? (fwd)
X-cc: "Bernard A. Galler" <galler@umich.edu>
In-Reply-To: <199701240126.UAA08591@judgmentday.rs.itd.umich.edu>
______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
The following text is a response from Dr. Bernie Galler. I forwarded the orginator message on this subject to him. - edo@umich.edu
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Date: Fri, 24 Jan 1997 10:03:22 -0500
From: "Bernard A. Galler" <galler@umich.edu> To: Ed Fronczak <edo@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu> Subject: Re: Ancient/Dead Computer Languages Site ? (fwd)
>I remember MAD as standing for Michigan Algorithmic Decoder, a language that was taught at CCNY (among other places) in the late 60's. It was meant to be an easy-to-pick-up language (the BASIC of its time) and seems to me to have been a diluted version of FORTRAN.
It was clearly not a diluted version of FORTRAN. It had many advanced features, only some of which were later added to FORTRAN.
>It did not last very long, although I left that school in 1970, I heard it was soon replaced
>with FORTRAN. I never heard of it again, except in reminiscing with old classmates.
It depends on what you mean by "very long". It was introduced in 1960, and if it was still in use at CCNY in 1970, that seems to be a very long time, by today's standards. See Jean Sammet's book on higher-level languages for a real discussion of the MAD language and its contributions to computing.
Bernard A. Galler
E-mail: galler@umich.edu
Fax: 313-668-9998
______________________________________________________________________
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU>
Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU>
From: Ed Fronczak <edo@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: MAD and Ancient/Dead Computer Languages Site ? (fwd)
X-cc: "Bernard A. Galler" <galler@umich.edu>
In-Reply-To: <199701240126.UAA08591@judgmentday.rs.itd.umich.edu>
______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
The following text is a response from Dr. Bernie Galler. I forwarded the orginator message on this subject to him. - edo@umich.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Jan 1997 10:03:22 -0500
From: "Bernard A. Galler" <galler@umich.edu> To: Ed Fronczak <edo@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu> Subject: Re: Ancient/Dead Computer Languages Site ? (fwd)
>I remember MAD as standing for Michigan Algorithmic Decoder, a language that was taught at CCNY (among other places) in the late 60's. It was meant to be an easy-to-pick-up language (the BASIC of its time) and seems to me to have been a diluted version of FORTRAN.
It was clearly not a diluted version of FORTRAN. It had many advanced features, only some of which were later added to FORTRAN.
>It did not last very long, although I left that school in 1970, I heard it was soon replaced
>with FORTRAN. I never heard of it again, except in reminiscing with old classmates.
It depends on what you mean by "very long". It was introduced in 1960, and if it was still in use at CCNY in 1970, that seems to be a very long time, by today's standards. See Jean Sammet's book on higher-level languages for a real discussion of the MAD language and its contributions to computing.
Bernard A. Galler
E-mail: galler@umich.edu
Fax: 313-668-9998
______________________________________________________________________
