Re: ALGOL - lexical analyzer

Hans Aberg wrote:


(snip)


> In short, the ALGOL uses boldface the same way one does in pure
> mathematics, i.e., it changes the semantics. Because of this semantics
> change in pure math, different letter styles was added to Unicode
> (thanks to Ken Whistler willing to listen to my explanations). It
> means that ALGOL can now be implemented correctly, using the Unicode
> chracter set.


Not so long ago I was trying to see if any copies of the
ALGOL W compiler written by Wirth for OS/360 still exist.


Not that it allowed boldface type, but it did allow identifiers
of up to 256 characters, which I don't know of any other compiler
from that era allowed, and I don't know that many do now.


With 256 characters one could encode many details otherwise lost.


If anyone knows of source or load module of ALGOL W, I would
be interested in knowing about it. I even asked Wirth.


-- glen
[I poked around on the net and didn't see anything either. I did find the
Stanford Algol W tech reports from the late 1960s, and I believe that most
of the authors are still around, so you might want to write and see if any
of them have a literal dusty deck lying around. -John]

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