Category: 1960s
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Maximum Adds per second for 1950s/early 1960s computers
Relative digital computer performance has been measured, since the mid-1960s, by timing how long it takes to execute one or more programs. Until the early 1990s Whetstone was widely used, and then SPEC brought things up to date. Running the same program on multiple computers requires that it be written in a language that is…
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21 Algol 60 compilers in 1962
The specification of ALGOL 60 was published in May 1960. Unlike today, where the creators of a new language release the source of a corresponding compiler, people were expected to write their own compiler. The June 1962 paper: The Replies to the AB14 Questionnaire lists implementation details on 21’ish compilers (it’s not clear whether some…