The High Order Language Working Group (HOLWG) was a
working group
A working group is a group of experts working together to achieve specified goals. Such groups are domain-specific and focus on discussion or activity around a specific subject area. The term can sometimes refer to an interdisciplinary collab ...
instrumental in developing the
Ada computer
A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...
programming language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
. The group was established in 1975 with the goal of establishing a single
high-level programming language appropriate for
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
(DoD)
real-time embedded computer systems. Colonel
William A. Whitaker chaired the group.
The group was centered in the US, but input was solicited from international experts.
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an experts responded well, which was valuable since
language research there, during the prior decade, was more active than in the US. Some highly accomplished
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
s were paid including
Edsger W. Dijkstra
Edsger Wybe Dijkstra ( ; ; 11 May 1930 – 6 August 2002) was a Dutch computer scientist, programmer, software engineer, mathematician, and science essayist.
Born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Dijkstra studied mathematics and physics and the ...
,
Charles Antony Richard Hoare, and
Niklaus Wirth
Niklaus Emil Wirth ( IPA: ) (15 February 1934 – 1 January 2024) was a Swiss computer scientist. He designed several programming languages, including Pascal, and pioneered several classic topics in software engineering. In 1984, he won the Tu ...
.
HOLWG had three objectives:
# formulate the requirements for common DoD high order languages;
# compare those requirements with existing languages; and
# recommend adoption or implementation of the necessary common languages.
References
Ada - The Project The DoD High Order Language Working Group William A. Whitaker, Colonel USAF, Retired
Working groups
Ada (programming language)