On revival of Algol-concepts in modern programming and specification languages

  • Authors:
  • Hans Langmaack

  • Affiliations:
  • Institut für Informatik, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany

  • Venue:
  • Formal methods and hybrid real-time systems
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

Appearance of computing machines dates back to the 1940s and their corresponding scientific disciplines, computer science resp. informatics, have arisen in the 1960s. Nevertheless, fighting for appropriate programming and specification languages has not yet come to an end: The Java-programming language and the Abstract State Machines ASM are new and representative specimens which have arisen recently. These languages are even advancing and improving themselves: Original Java 1996, a flat language language without class nestings, towards more modern Java 2000 with nested classes, and Basic ASM resp. Evolving Algebras 1988/91 towards Turbo ASM 2003 where machines and rules show new features like naming, parameterizing, local states and recursive calls. These transitions inside Java resp. ASM remind at a much earlier transition from Fortran and Algol 58 to Algol 60 with its block concept and nested, parameterized, recursive and formal procedures. Aim of the present essay is to show that many of those new concepts incorporated in new Java and Turbo ASM were already available in Algol60.