QED (text editor)
Encyclopedia
QED is a line-oriented computer text editor
that was developed by Butler Lampson
and L. Peter Deutsch
for the Berkeley Timesharing System
running on the SDS 940
. It was implemented by L. Peter Deutsch and Dana Angluin
between 1965 and 1966.
QED (for "quick editor") addressed teleprinter
usage, but systems "for CRT
displays [were] not considered, since many of their design considerations [were] quite different."
Ken Thompson later wrote a version for CTSS; this version was notable for introducing regular expression
s. Thompson rewrote QED in BCPL
for Multics
. The Multics version was ported to the GE-600
system used at Bell Labs
in the late 1960's under GECOS
and later GCOS
after Honeywell
took over GE
's computer business. The GECOS-GCOS port used I/O routines written by A. W. Winklehoff. Dennis M. Ritchie, Ken Thompson and Brian W. Kernighan wrote the QED manuals used at Bell Labs.
Given that the authors were the primary developers of the Unix
operating system, it is natural that QED had a strong influence on the classic UNIX
text editors ed, sed
and their descendants such as ex
and sam
.
A version of QED named FRED
(Friendly Editor) was written at the
University of Waterloo
for Honeywell systems by Peter Fraser. A University of Toronto team consisting of Tom Duff, Rob Pike, Hugh Redelmeier, and David Tilbrook implemented a version of QED that runs on UNIX
; David Tilbrook later included QED as part of his QEF tool set.
QED was also used as a character-oriented editor on the Norwegian-made Norsk Data
systems, first Nord TSS then SINTRAN III
. It is not known, but entirely possible that this traces its lineage from the CTSS editor.
Text editor
A text editor is a type of program used for editing plain text files.Text editors are often provided with operating systems or software development packages, and can be used to change configuration files and programming language source code....
that was developed by Butler Lampson
Butler Lampson
Butler W. Lampson is a renowned computer scientist.After graduating from the Lawrenceville School , Lampson received his Bachelor's degree in Physics from Harvard University in 1964, and his Ph.D...
and L. Peter Deutsch
L. Peter Deutsch
L Peter Deutsch or Peter Deutsch is the founder of Aladdin Enterprises and creator of Ghostscript, a free software PostScript and PDF interpreter....
for the Berkeley Timesharing System
Berkeley Timesharing System
The Berkeley Timesharing System was a pioneering time-sharing operating system implemented between 1964 and 1967 at the University of California, Berkeley...
running on the SDS 940
SDS 940
The SDS 940 was Scientific Data Systems' first machine designed to support time sharing directly, and was based on the SDS 930's 24-bit CPU built primarily of integrated circuits. It was announced in February 1966 and shipped in April, becoming a major part of Tymshare's expansion during the 1960s...
. It was implemented by L. Peter Deutsch and Dana Angluin
Dana Angluin
-Biography:Professor Angluin is interested in machine learning and computational learning theory. Algorithmic modeling and analysis of learning tasks gives insight into the phenomena of learning, and suggests avenues for the creation of tools to help people learn, and for the design of "smarter"...
between 1965 and 1966.
QED (for "quick editor") addressed teleprinter
Teleprinter
A teleprinter is a electromechanical typewriter that can be used to communicate typed messages from point to point and point to multipoint over a variety of communication channels that range from a simple electrical connection, such as a pair of wires, to the use of radio and microwave as the...
usage, but systems "for CRT
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
displays [were] not considered, since many of their design considerations [were] quite different."
Ken Thompson later wrote a version for CTSS; this version was notable for introducing regular expression
Regular expression
In computing, a regular expression provides a concise and flexible means for "matching" strings of text, such as particular characters, words, or patterns of characters. Abbreviations for "regular expression" include "regex" and "regexp"...
s. Thompson rewrote QED in BCPL
BCPL
BCPL is a procedural, imperative, and structured computer programming language designed by Martin Richards of the University of Cambridge in 1966.- Design :...
for Multics
Multics
Multics was an influential early time-sharing operating system. The project was started in 1964 in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
. The Multics version was ported to the GE-600
GE-600 series
The GE-600 series was a family of 36-bit mainframe computers originating in the 1960s, built by General Electric . When GE left the mainframe business the line was sold to Honeywell, who built similar systems into the 1990s as the division moved to Groupe Bull and then NEC.-Architecture:The 600...
system used at Bell Labs
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
in the late 1960's under GECOS
Gecos
GECOS or gecos may stand for:*General Electric Comprehensive Operating Supervisor , which was later renamed to General Comprehensive Operating System...
and later GCOS
General Comprehensive Operating System
General Comprehensive Operating System is a family of operating systems oriented toward mainframe computers.The original version of GCOS was developed by General Electric from 1962; originally called GECOS...
after Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
took over GE
Gê
Gê are the people who spoke Ge languages of the northern South American Caribbean coast and Brazil. In Brazil the Gê were found in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Piaui, Mato Grosso, Goias, Tocantins, Maranhão, and as far south as Paraguay....
's computer business. The GECOS-GCOS port used I/O routines written by A. W. Winklehoff. Dennis M. Ritchie, Ken Thompson and Brian W. Kernighan wrote the QED manuals used at Bell Labs.
Given that the authors were the primary developers of the Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
operating system, it is natural that QED had a strong influence on the classic UNIX
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
text editors ed, sed
Sed
sed is a Unix utility that parses text and implements a programming language which can apply transformations to such text. It reads input line by line , applying the operation which has been specified via the command line , and then outputs the line. It was developed from 1973 to 1974 as a Unix...
and their descendants such as ex
Ex (text editor)
ex, short for EXtended, is a line editor for Unix systems.The original ex was an advanced version of the standard Unix editor ed, included in the Berkeley Software Distribution...
and sam
Sam (text editor)
Sam is a multi-file text editor based on structural regular expressions. It was originally designed in the early 1980s at Bell Labs by Rob Pike with the help of Ken Thompson and other Unix developers for the Blit windowing terminal running on Unix; it was later ported to other systems. Sam...
.
A version of QED named FRED
FRED (text editor)
FRED is a re-implementation of the famous Bell Labs QED line-oriented text editor. It was written at the University of Waterloo by Peter Fraser for the Honeywell GCOS operating system.-External links:*...
(Friendly Editor) was written at the
University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
for Honeywell systems by Peter Fraser. A University of Toronto team consisting of Tom Duff, Rob Pike, Hugh Redelmeier, and David Tilbrook implemented a version of QED that runs on UNIX
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
; David Tilbrook later included QED as part of his QEF tool set.
QED was also used as a character-oriented editor on the Norwegian-made Norsk Data
Norsk Data
Norsk Data was a computer manufacturer located in Oslo, Norway. Existing from 1967 to 1992, it had its most active period in the years from the early 1970s to the late 1980s...
systems, first Nord TSS then SINTRAN III
SINTRAN III
SINTRAN III was a real-time, multitasking, multi-user operating system used with Norsk Data computers from 1974. Unlike its predecessors SINTRAN I and II, it was entirely written by Norsk Data....
. It is not known, but entirely possible that this traces its lineage from the CTSS editor.