Earliest detailed description of a compiler?

Derek <derek@shape-of-code.com>
Sat, 13 Apr 2024 12:55:05 +0100

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Earliest detailed description of a compiler? derek@shape-of-code.com (Derek) (2024-04-13)
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From: Derek <derek@shape-of-code.com>
Newsgroups: comp.compilers
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2024 12:55:05 +0100
Organization: Compilers Central
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Keywords: history, question, comment
Posted-Date: 14 Apr 2024 13:05:09 EDT

All,


What is the earliest detailed description of the
workings of a compiler?


One from 18 April 1958
Internal Translator (IT) A compiler for the 650
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/650/CarnegieInternalTranslator.pdf


There were lots of compilers by 1957, but where is their
internal documentation?
https://shape-of-code.com/2017/05/21/evidence-for-28-possible-compilers-in-1957/


[Good question. Here's a bunch of stuff about FORTRAN, with some
details in the papers and lecture notes. Start with the 1957 WJCC
preprint:


https://www.softwarepreservation.org/projects/FORTRAN/


Chapter 7 of this 1958 FLOW-MATIC manual has some internal description:


http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/univac/flow-matic/U1518_FLOW-MATIC_Programming_System_1958.pdf
-John]

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