Candidate Language Evaluation and Recommendation Report.
Abstract
This report contains comparisons between three existing High-Order Languages (HOL) - COBOL, FORTRAN and HAL/S - and the DoD identified HOL requirements for embedded computers as published in the Requirements for High-Order Computer Programming Languages TINMAN June 1976. FORTRAN and COBOL are standard DoD High-Order Programming Languages, which address scientific and business programming. HAL/S is a NASA-designed HOL for use on the On-Board Shuttle and other computers. The study was performed for Rome Air Development Center, in support of DoD's HOL cost reduction project through HOL standardization. The results of this study show that FORTRAN meets relatively few of the requirements for a HOL for embedded computers. COBOL meets a much larger number of the TINMAN requirements and is particularly readable (and hence maintainable) because of its resemblance to English. HAL/S was designed for programming embedded computers and satisfies an even larger number of the TINMAN requirements than COBOL. The limited number of implementations speaks both for and against HAL/S: it is not widely known and used, but it has a very high degree of standardization.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1977
- Accession Number
- ADA037638
Entities
Organizations
- International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY)