S-algol
Encyclopedia
S-algol is a computer programming language derivative of ALGOL 60
developed at the University of St. Andrews in 1979 by Ron Morrison
. The language was developed as his PhD thesis as a modification of ALGOL to contain orthogonal datatypes. Ron Morrison would go on to become professor
at the university and head of the department of computer science
. The S-algol language was used for teaching at the university at an undergraduate level until 1999. It was also the language taught for several years in the 1980s at a local school in St. Andrews, Madras College
. The computer science text Recursive descent compiling describes a recursive descent
compiler
for S-algol, using S-algol as the implementation language (see bootstrapping
).
PS-Algol is a persistent derivative of S-algol. It was developed around 1981 at the Universities of Edinburgh
and St Andrews
. It supports database
capability by providing for longevity of data in the form of a persistent heap that survives termination of PS-Algol programs. It is considered to be the first programming language
to support orthogonal persistence.
ALGOL 60
ALGOL 60 is a member of the ALGOL family of computer programming languages. It gave rise to many other programming languages, including BCPL, B, Pascal, Simula, C, and many others. ALGOL 58 introduced code blocks and the begin and end pairs for delimiting them...
developed at the University of St. Andrews in 1979 by Ron Morrison
Ron Morrison
Professor Ron Morrison was the head of School of the computer science department of the University of St. Andrews and the inventor of the S-algol programming language. Ron is also heavily involved with local athletics, coaching the University Cross-Country team as well as young, up and coming local...
. The language was developed as his PhD thesis as a modification of ALGOL to contain orthogonal datatypes. Ron Morrison would go on to become professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the university and head of the department of computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. The S-algol language was used for teaching at the university at an undergraduate level until 1999. It was also the language taught for several years in the 1980s at a local school in St. Andrews, Madras College
Madras College
Madras College is a secondary school in St. Andrews, Fife in Scotland.-History:Madras College, founded in 1832, takes its name from the system of education devised by the school's founder, the Rev Dr Andrew Bell....
. The computer science text Recursive descent compiling describes a recursive descent
Recursive descent parser
A recursive descent parser is a top-down parser built from a set of mutually-recursive procedures where each such procedure usually implements one of the production rules of the grammar...
compiler
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
for S-algol, using S-algol as the implementation language (see bootstrapping
Bootstrapping (compilers)
In computer science, bootstrapping is the process of writing a compiler in the target programming language which it is intended to compile...
).
PS-Algol is a persistent derivative of S-algol. It was developed around 1981 at the Universities of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
and St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
. It supports database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
capability by providing for longevity of data in the form of a persistent heap that survives termination of PS-Algol programs. It is considered to be the first programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
to support orthogonal persistence.