DARSIMCO, short for Dartmouth Simplified Code, was a simple
programming language
A programming language is a system of notation for writing computer programs.
Programming languages are described in terms of their Syntax (programming languages), syntax (form) and semantics (computer science), semantics (meaning), usually def ...
written by
John Kemeny in 1956 that expanded simple mathematical operations into
IBM 704
The IBM 704 is the model name of a large digital computer, digital mainframe computer introduced by IBM in 1954. Designed by John Backus and Gene Amdahl, it was the first mass-produced computer with hardware for floating-point arithmetic. The I ...
assembly language
In computing, assembly language (alternatively assembler language or symbolic machine code), often referred to simply as assembly and commonly abbreviated as ASM or asm, is any low-level programming language with a very strong correspondence bet ...
(Share Assembly Language, SAL). It was an attempt to simplify basic mathematical processing, a common theme in the 1950s, but found little use before the arrival of
FORTRAN at
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
the next year.
Description
This language was essentially a set of
macros that expanded out user source code into a series of assembly language instructions, which were then compiled using the existing SAL assembler,
Symbolic Assembly Program. For instance, the formula
A + B = C would add the values in memory locations A and B and put the result in C. To do this, the DARSIMCO compiler would write out the following three instructions:
LDA A
FAD B
STO C
The language included similar expansions for subtraction, multiplication, division, and simple looping.
The language was implemented on the IBM 704 at MIT's
New England Regional Computer Center. Programmed using punch cards, the system had a two-week turnaround because Kemeny had to take the cards in via train from Dartmouth.
See also
*
Autocode, a similar concept for mathematical programming
References
*
Programming languages
Programming languages created in 1956
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