ALGOL X was the code name given to a

programming language A programming language is a system of notation for writing computer programs. Most programming languages are text-based formal languages, but they may also be graphical. They are a kind of computer language. The description of a programming ...

which was being developed as a successor to

ALGOL 60 ALGOL 60 (short for ''Algorithmic Language 1960'') is a member of the ALGOL family of computer programming languages. It followed on from ALGOL 58 which had introduced code blocks and the begin and end pairs for delimiting them, representing a k ...

, by the

International Federation for Information Processing The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) is a global organisation for researchers and professionals working in the field of computing to conduct research, develop standards and promote information sharing. Established in 196 ...

(IFIP)

IFIP Working Group 2.1 IFIP Working Group 2.1 on Algorithmic Languages and Calculi is a working group of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP). IFIP WG 2.1 was formed as the body responsible for the continued support and maintenance of the progra ...

on Algorithmic Languages and Calculi, which supports and maintains the languages ALGOL 60 and

ALGOL 68 ALGOL 68 (short for ''Algorithmic Language 1968'') is an imperative programming language that was conceived as a successor to the ALGOL 60 programming language, designed with the goal of a much wider scope of application and more rigorously de ...

. It attempted to find a "short-term solution to existing difficulties".

ALGOL N ALGOL N (''N'' for ''Nippon'' – Japan in Japanese) is the name of a successor programming language to ALGOL 60, designed in Japan with the goal of being as simple as ALGOL 60 but as powerful as ALGOL 68. The language was proposed by Nobuo Yoned ...

and

ALGOL W ALGOL W is a programming language. It is based on a proposal for ALGOL X by Niklaus Wirth and Tony Hoare as a successor to ALGOL 60. ALGOL W is a relatively simple upgrade of the original ALGOL 60, adding string, bitstring, complex number and r ...

were two other ALGOL versions proposed to fulfill this need. According to de Morgan, ''"... the Algol 60 devotees had not been idle... they set out to eliminate the dreaded Remaining Trouble Spots. They called their Algol 60 'Modified'."'' One ''ALGOL X'' compiler is known to have existed. It was written with the ''Automated Engineering Design'' (AED-0) system, also termed ''ALGOL Extended for Design'', by

Douglas T. Ross Douglas Taylor "Doug" Ross (21 December 1929 – 31 January 2007) was an American computer scientist pioneer, and chairman of SofTech, Inc. He is most famous for originating the term CAD for computer-aided design, and is considered to be the fath ...

of the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

(MIT). Example class definition: (an extract from AB26.2.2) class expression is constant (real value) ora variable (string printname) ora class pair is (sum ora difference ora product ora quotient)((expression) left operand, right operand, derivative); Example class usage: (expression) X; (constant) Y; (pair) Z; (product) Q; X := Y:= constant(10.5); Z := Q := product(variable("ALPHA"), constant(2.), constant(2.)) "Initially the proposal for an update to Algol was Algol X, with Algol Y being the name reserved for the corresponding metalanguage. Van Wijngaarden produced a paper for the 1963 IFIP programming language committee, entitled “Generalized Algol,” which contained the basic concepts which were eventually incorporated into Algol 68

The ALGOL Bulletin on ALGOL X

* AB21.3.1 – G. Seegmuller: Some proposals for ALGOL

* AB21.3.2 – Joachim von Peschke: Proposals for ALGOL

* AB22.3.2 – J.N. Merner: Own concept and ALGOL

* AB22.3.10 – Michael Woodger, M. Woodger: ALGOL X, Note on the proposed successor to ALGOL 6

* AB25.0.1 – ALGOL Bulletin – ALGOL

* AB26.2.2 –

: Features essential for a workable ALGOL

References

External links

* Investigations in CAD FR035 Chapter IV
AED beyond Algol 60

ALGOL X and ALGOL Y
Lambert Meertens; CWI Lectures in honour of Adriaan van Wijngaarden; November 2016 ALGOL 60 dialect {{Prog-lang-stub