UNCOL

UNCOL

UNCOL, UNiversal Computer Oriented Language, was a proposed universal intermediate language for compilers. It was never fully specified or implemented; in many ways it was more a concept than a language.

UNCOL was intended to make compilers economically available for each new instruction set architecture and programming language. Each machine architecture would require just one compiler back end, and each programming language would require one compiler front end. This was a very ambitious goal in 1961 because compiler technology was in its infancy, and little was standardized in computer hardware and software.

The concept of such a universal intermediate language is old: the
SHARE report (1958) already says " [it has] been discussed by many independent persons as long ago as 1954." Macrakis (1993) summarizes its fate:

cquote2|UNCOL was an ambitious effort for the early 1960’s. An attempt to solve the compiler-writing problem, it ultimately failed because language and compiler technology were not yet mature.In the 1970’s, compiler-compilers ultimately contributed to solving the problem that UNCOL set itself: the economical production of compilers for new languages and new machines.

UNCOL is sometimes used as a generic term for the idea of a universal intermediate language. The Architecture Neutral Distribution Format is an example of an UNCOL in this sense.

References

* Melvin E. Conway, "Proposal for an UNCOL", "Communications of the ACM" 1:3:5 (1958).
* Jean E. Sammet, "Programming Languages: History and Fundamentals", Prentice-Hall, 1969. Chapter X.2: UNCOL (Significant Unimplemented Concepts), p. 708.
* SHARE Ad-Hoc Committee on Universal Languages (J. Strong, J. Olsztyn, J. Wegstein, O. Mock, A. Tritter, T. Steel), "The Problem of Programming Communication with Changing Machines", "Communications of the ACM" 1:8:12 (August 1958) and 1:9:9 (September 1958).
* Stavros Macrakis, "From UNCOL to ANDF: Progress in Standard Intermediate Languages", White Paper, Open Software Foundation Research Institute, RI-ANDF-TP2-1, January, 1992. Available at [http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/macrakis93from.html CiteSeer]
* T.B. Steel, Jr., "UNCOL: Universal Computer Oriented Language Revisited", "Datamation" (Jan/Feb 1960), p. 18.
* T.B. Steel, Jr., "A First Version of UNCOL", "Proc. Western Joint Computer Conference" 19:371 (Los Angeles, May 9-11, 1961).
* T.B. Steel, Jr., "UNCOL: The Myth and the Fact", "Annual Review in Automatic Programming" 2:325 (1961).


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • UNCOL — Universal Computer Oriented Language …   Acronyms

  • UNCOL — Universal Computer Oriented Language …   Acronyms von A bis Z

  • UNCOL —    Universal Computer Oriented Language …   IT glossary of terms, acronyms and abbreviations

  • UNCOL — comp. abbr. Universal Computed Oriented Language …   United dictionary of abbreviations and acronyms

  • Compiler — This article is about the computing term. For the anime, see Compiler (anime). A diagram of the operation of a typical multi language, multi target compiler A compiler is a computer program (or set of programs) that transforms source code written …   Wikipedia

  • Melvin Conway — Melvin Edward Conway was an early computer scientist, computer programmer, and hacker who coined what s now known as Conway s Law: Organizations which design systems are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication… …   Wikipedia

  • Programming language — lists Alphabetical Categorical Chronological Generational A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that… …   Wikipedia

  • Cosmopolitan (magazine) — Cosmopolitan May 2011 issue. Editor in Chief Kate White Helen Gurley Brown (International) Categories Female Frequency monthly …   Wikipedia

  • Architecture Neutral Distribution Format — The Architecture Neutral Distribution Format (ANDF) is a technology allowing common shrink wrapped binary application programs to be distributed for use on conformant Unix systems, each of which might run on different underlying hardware… …   Wikipedia

  • List of universities in Greece — A listing of universities in Greece. Institutes of Higher Education (Ανώτατα Εκπαιδευτικά Ιδρύματα) All the state accredited universities in Greece are public. The duration of the undergraduate degree programs for most disciplines is 4 years.… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”