A Compiler for Pocket Calculators.
Abstract
The achievements of modern electronics technology are probably made more visible to the public eye by the proliferation of pocket calculators. In the past five years their price and size have steadily decreased, while their capabilities have skyrocketed to the point where programmable pocket calculators (computers in every sense of the word) are being sold faster than they can be produced. Simultaneous with their introduction is an increase in the number of people attempting to program for the first time. Realizing the difficulty in programming at the machine level of the new programmable pocket calculators, the author has succeeded in reducing the problem to one of programming in a high-level language, BASIC. The compiler which transforms a program in BASIC to programmable calculator code was designed around the Hewlett-Packard model HP-65 calculator. Primary design goals were (1) efficiency, (2) ease of use, (3) expandability, (4) adaptability, and (5) transportability. The compiler was implemented in PL/I on the Burroughs B6700 computer at the University of Delaware Computing Center. Techniques used in meeting the design goals are discussed in the paper, along with some examples substantiating those goals which have been tested.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA023753
Entities
People
- Deane B. Blazie
Organizations
- Human Engineering Laboratory