[Info-vax] PDP-11 languages, was: Re: New VSI Roadmap (yipee!)

[Bill Gunshannon]

In article <mdb5sb$d0v$1 at dont-email.me>,
	David Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> writes:
> Simon Clubley wrote:
>> On 2015-03-05, Richard Maher <maher_rjSPAMLESS at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>> On 3/6/2015 2:24 AM, Hunter Goatley wrote:
>>>> VAX BASIC was *not* what most people think of when they think of BASIC.
>>>> It was a real language. ;-)
>>>>
>>> But I think the loudest people here had their Genesis in RSTS/E Basic.
>>>
>>> CHR$(155%)+'[', 32767 END, IF RMS 16K + CHAIN, GOTO 1, ELSE RESUME 
>>> ERRLINE, IF BURGER_COST 3.9412345678 etc.
>>>
>> 
>> But even in those PDP-11 days there were alternatives such as DIBOL
>> (and Google tells me COBOL was available from an early date as well).
>> 
>> Those early versions of DIBOL may have been very limited by today's
>> language standards (especially the versions from before my time) but
>> even then you still had an alternative to floating point numbers.
>> 
>> Simon. (Who started out in the DEC world with RSTS/E DIBOL for a few
>> years).
>> 
>> PS: My former boss told me there was, in the very early PDP-11 days,
>> a combined RSTS/E and DIBOL package called CTS-500 although that
>> was before my time so I don't know the details.
>> 
> 
> At one time I believe Basic Plus was the only language on RSTS/E.  Then 
> some stuff was added to allow the stuff from other PDP-11 OSs, and we 
> got the gift of TKB ...

Early RSTS, I expect, but by the time it became /E there would likely have
been a spate of languages to choose from.

bill

-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
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