My name is Paul McJones. I am using this weblog to discuss historic computer software and hardware among other topics. For several months I’ve been studying the early history of Fortran, and trying to track down the source code for the original Fortran compiler. Although I just set up this weblog recently (June-July 2004), I’ve created back-dated entries to document my quest in chronological order, starting here.
I welcome suggestions for additional topics, and also would like to invite others to contribute articles on the history of early programming languages, operating systems, database management systems, and applications.
If you like this web log, you might be interested in the System R website documenting the history of the System R relational database research project, which gave birth to the SQL query language.
I retired in 2003 after over 40 years of computer science work –
6 years at Univ of Illinois Digital Computer Lab, 34+ years at Computer Sciences Corp
(yes, I knew Roy Nutt). From 1965 through 1982 I was involved in Fortran compiler development
and in Fortran 77 standardization (X3J3 committee) at UofI and CSC.
While at U of I, I saved from trash an assembly language listing of Fortran II,
modified to run with 7 index regs and under the U of I 7090/94 op system Porthos.
Porthos was derived from the U of Michigan op system. It supported a hard disk.
I still have this listing – on full size computer paper. I was considering some
way to maybe donate it to the Computer History Museum – but I may reconsider.
Surely there is some researcher who could use this?
I’m moving soon to Idaho (now in So Calif) – this thing should go somewhere usefull!
John T. Bagwell Jr. – – – email me at jbagwellcsc (AT) yahoo.com with suggestions?