Short Code (computer language): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:51, 5 March 2008

Latest revision as of 19:19, 17 April 2025

(63 intermediate revisions by 56 users not shown)

Line 1:

{{Short description|Early higher-level language for electronic computers}}

{{Cleanup|date=November 2006}}

:''This article is {{about |the early computer language Short Code. For |the use of this term in connection with telecommunications, see [[|Short code]]''.}}

{{Infobox programming language

| name = Short Code

| paradigm =

| released = {{Start date|1950}}

| developer = William F Schmitt, A. B. Tonik, J. R. Logan

| influenced by = [[ENIAC Short Code]]

| influenced = [[Intermediate programming language]], [[OMNIBAC Symbolic Assembler]]

}}

'''Short Code''' was one of the first higher-level languages ever developed for an [[electronic computer]].<ref name=Sebesta>Sebesta, R. W.S Concepts of Programming languages. 2006; M6 14:18 pp. 44. {{ISBN# |0-321-33025-0}}.</ref> Unlike [[machine code]], Short Code statements represented mathematic expressions rather than a machine instruction. Also known as automatic programming, the source code was not compiled but executed through an interpreter to simplify the programming process. The execution time was, naturally, much slower.<ref>Sebesta, R. W. Concepts of Programming languages. 11E; Chapter 2, pp. 39. {{ISBN|978-0133943023}}.</ref>

==History==

:''This article is about the early computer language Short Code. For the use of this term in connection with telecommunications, see [[Short code]]''.

Short Code was proposed by [[John Mauchly]] in 1949 and originally known as Brief Code. William Schmitt implemented a version of Brief Code in 1949 for the [[BINAC]] computer, though it was never debugged and tested. The following year Schmitt implemented a new version of Brief Code for the [[UnivacUNIVAC&nbsp;I]] I, where it was now known as Short Code (also Short Order Code). A revised version of Short Code was developed in 1952 for the Univac &nbsp;II by A. &nbsp;B. Tonik and J. &nbsp;R. Logan.<ref>Schmitt, William F. The UNIVAC SHORT CODE. Annals of the History of Computing (1988) 10:pages 7-87–8.</ref>

While Short Code represented expressions, the representation itself was not direct and required a process of manual conversion. Elements of an expression were represented by two-character codes and then divided into 6-code groups in order to conform to the 12 -byte words used by BINAC and Univac computers.<ref>Schmitt, William F. The UNIVAC SHORT CODE. Annals of the History of Computing (1988) 10:page 15.</ref> For example, the expression:

'''Short Code''' was one of the first higher-level languages ever developed for an [[electronic computer]].<ref name=Sebesta>Sebesta, W.S Concepts of Programming languages. 2006;M6 14:18 pp.44. ISBN# 0-321-33025-0</ref> Unlike [[machine code]] Short Code statements represented mathematic expressions rather than a machine instruction.

<syntaxhighlight lang="c">

Short Code was proposed by [[John Mauchly]] in 1949 and originally known as Brief Code. William Schmitt implemented a version of Brief Code in 1949 for the [[BINAC]] computer, though it was never debugged and tested. The following year Schmitt implemented a new version of Brief Code for the [[Univac]] I where it was now known as Short Code (also Short Order Code). A revised version of Short Code was developed in 1952 for the Univac II by A. B. Tonik and J. R Logan.<ref>Schmitt, William F. The UNIVAC SHORT CODE. Annals of the History of Computing (1988) 10:pages 7-8</ref>

a = (b + c) / b * c

</syntaxhighlight>

While Short Code represented expressions, the representation itself was not direct and required a process of manual conversion. Elements of an expression were represented by two-character codes and then divided into 6-code groups in order to conform to the 12 byte words used by BINAC and Univac computers.<ref>Schmitt, William F. The UNIVAC SHORT CODE. Annals of the History of Computing (1988) 10:page 15</ref> For example the expression:

a = (b+c)/b*c

was converted to Short Code by a sequence of substitutions and a final regrouping:

<syntaxhighlight lang="c">

X3 = (X1+Y1)/X1*Y1 substitute variables

X3 03= ( 09 X1 07+ Y1 02) 04 X1/ Y1 X1 * substituteY1 operators and parentheses.substitute variables

X3 03 09 X1 07 Y1 02 04 X1 Y1 substitute operators and parentheses.

Note multiplication is represented

Note that multiplication by juxtaposition.is

represented by juxtaposition.</syntaxhighlight><syntaxhighlight lang="text">

07Y10204X1Y1 group into 12-byte words.

0000X30309X1

</syntaxhighlight>

Along with basic [[arithmetic]], Short Code allowed for branching and calls to a library of functions. The language was [[interpreter (computing)|interpreted]] and ran about 50 times slower than [[machine code]].<ref> Malik, Masud Ahmad. Evolution of the High Level Programming Languages: A Critical Perspective. ACM SIGPLAN Notices (December 1998) 33(12) page 74.</ref>

== See also ==

* [[History of programming languages]]

* [[Algorithm]]

== Notes ==

<div class="references-small">

<references/>

</div>

==References==

{{reflist}}

* Wexelblat, Richard L. (Ed.) (1981). <em>History of Programming Languages</em>, p. 9. New York: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-745040-8

* Murdoch, Short Code (HOPL) [http://hopl.murdoch.edu.au/showlanguage.prx?exp=2707&language=SHORT%20CODE]

==External links==

*[http://www Wexelblat, Richard L.byte (Ed.com/art/9509/sec7/art19) (1981).htm A Brief ''History of Programming Languages]'', p.&nbsp;9. New York: Academic Press. {{ISBN|0-12-745040-8}}

* {{Cite web|url=http://hopl.info/showlanguage.prx?exp=2707&language=SHORT%20CODE|title=Short Code|last=|first=|date=|website=hopl.info|access-date=2018-05-20}}

*[http://www.uow.edu.au/~hasan/buss930/prog/prlangs1.htm A Brief History of Computing Languages]

*[http://hopl.murdoch.edu.au/findlanguages2.prx?id=us&which=ByCountry&ByYear=Yes The Encyclopedia of Computer Languages]

[[Category:ProgrammingProcedural programming languages]]

[[Category:Programming languages created in 1950]]