Interesting People mailing list archives

IP: "The World's First COBOL Compilers" -- 12 June 1997


From: David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>
Date: Wed, 04 Jun 1997 14:49:13 -0400

                          FREE PUBLIC LECTURE


[--------------------------------------------------------------------------]
[ Could you write a high-level language compiler for a computer with about ]
[   16K of memory and a primitive instruction set, for a complex language  ]
[  whose definition was in flux, and with no textbook or existence proof?  ]
[                                                                          ]
[                    Come hear from the pioneers who did!                  ]
[--------------------------------------------------------------------------]




                The World's First COBOL Compilers
                ---------------------------------




        Presented by Harold "Bud" Lawson and Howard Bromberg


  In December 1960, for the first time in history, the same high
  level language program was successfully compiled and executed on
  computers from two different manufacturers.  The machines were
  the UNIVAC II and the RCA 501, and the language was COBOL.


  Harold Lawson worked on the UNIVAC compiler in Philadelphia PA,
  and Howard Bromberg worked on the RCA compiler across the
  Delaware river in Cherry Hill NJ.  At this talk they will
  discuss the development and design of the compilers, as well as
  the events that led up to the historic demonstration.


  The seminar is a special tribute to Rear Admiral Dr. Grace Murray
  Hopper. Both speakers were privileged to have worked for and
  learned from the legendary computer pioneer who was instrumental
  in the concept and design of the COBOL language and its
  compilers.


              Thursday, June 12, 1997 at 5:30 PM
                Gates Computer Science Building
                      Stanford University




If you are able to attend, please notify us by return e-mail.


ALERT: On June 24th, The Computer Museum History Center will be hosting a
second free public lecture--on the ILLIAC IV supercomputer--at its
warehouse at Moffett Federal Airfield.  More information on the ILLIAC IV
lecture will follow shortly.




         Sponsored by The Computer Museum History Center
                PO Box 3038, Stanford CA 94305
                 (415) 604-2575   chc () tcm org


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