[Info-vax] VMS Software needs to port VAX DIBOL to OpenVMS X86 platform

[Tim Sneddon]

Rich Alderson <news at alderson.users.panix.com> wrote:
> "Craig A. Berry" <craigberry at nospam.mac.com> writes:
> 
>> On 12/26/20 9:43 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>>> On 2020-12-26, Craig A. Berry <craigberry at nospam.mac.com> wrote:
> 
>>>> On 12/26/20 9:21 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>>>>> On 2020-12-26, Arne Vajh??j <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>>>>>> On 12/26/2020 6:16 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> 
>>>>>>> Is anyone still using PL/I BTW ?
> 
>>>>>>> I thought DEC sold off the PL/I compiler and that the person it was
>>>>>>> sold to retired and either sold off or wound down his business.
> 
>>>>>> Kednos & Tim Sneddon?
> 
>>>>>> Arne
> 
>>>>> Yes, that was him. Thanks for reminding me of the name.
> 
>>>> It was Tom Linden, not Tim, who owned Kednos.  I think Tim worked there
>>>> at some point and kednos.com now redirects to Tim's endlesssoftware.com.
> 
>>> Thanks for the correction. It's not a language I have ever used and
>>> I have long forgotten any detailed knowledge of who PL/I was sold to.
> 
>> I've never used it either and I know nothing about current ownership or
>> plans.  I just remember that it came up in discussions of what gets lost
>> in a platform port.
> 
>> There is a now-moribund PL/I project for the GCC back end:
> 
>> <http://pl1gcc.sourceforge.net>
> 
>> and there is a proprietary compiler that runs on Linux:
> 
>> <http://www.iron-spring.com/about.html>
> 
>> Both of these emulate IBM PL/I and would likely require a monumental
>> effort to replace DEC PL/I.
> 
> As I remember the book on the VAX (VMS) port, the goal was very much to
> "emulate" (implement) IBM PL/I, so I doubt that there would be that much
> effort for any implementation with the same goal...

I don't think so.  DEC PL/I was a port of the PL/I compiler developed by
Robert Freibourghouse.  The DEC team even ported it off of a Multics
system.  The real target was ANSI Subset G (general purpose) PL/I as
I understand it.

The book I am guessing everyone is talking about is Engeneering a Compiler:
VAX-11 Code Generation.  It really covers the development of a VAX backend
and very little about the PL/I language itself.  The Epilogue also discusses
the fact the backend was reused for VAX C as well as Pearl and likely
another language.  It was also used for SCAN (although I think that came
after the book).

Regards, Tim.