X-Nico

2 unusual facts about Atlas Autocode


Atlas Autocode

Atlas Autocode's second-greatest claim to fame (after being the progenitor of Imp and EMAS) was that it had many of the features of the original "Compiler Compiler".

It was developed by Tony Brooker and Derrick Morris as a variant of the ALGOL programming language, removing some Algol features such as "passing parameters by name" (which in Algol 60 means passing the address of a short subroutine to recalculate the parameter each time it was mentioned).


Autocode

Slightly different dialects of Mercury Autocode were implemented for the Ferranti Atlas (distinct from the later Atlas Autocode) and the ICT 1300 and 1900 range.

Compiler-compiler

The first compiler-compiler to use that name was written by Tony Brooker in 1960 and was used to create compilers for the Atlas computer at the University of Manchester, including the Atlas Autocode compiler.


see also