PROMAL (PROgrammer's Microapplication Language) is a
structured programming
Structured programming is a programming paradigm aimed at improving the clarity, quality, and development time of a computer program by making extensive use of the structured control flow constructs of selection ( if/then/else) and repetition ( ...
language from
Systems Management Associates
A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment, is described by its boundaries, structure and purpose and expresse ...
for
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...
,
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
, and
Apple II
The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
. PROMAL features simple syntax, no line numbers, long variable names, functions and procedures with argument passing, real number type, arrays, strings, pointer, and a built-in I/O library. Like
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
and
Python
Python may refer to:
Snakes
* Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia
** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia
* Python (mythology), a mythical serpent
Computing
* Python (pro ...
, indentation is part of the language syntax.
The language uses a
single-pass compiler
In computer programming, a one-pass compiler is a compiler that passes through the parts of each compilation unit only once, immediately translating each part into its final machine code. This is in contrast to a multi-pass compiler which convert ...
to generate byte code that is interpreted when the program is run. Since the memory is very limited on these early home computers, the compiler can compile to/from disk and memory. The software package for C64 includes a full-screen editor and command shell.
See also
omputer Language, Mar 1986, pp. 128–134
Reception
''
Ahoy!
''Ahoy!'' was a computer magazine published between January 1984 and January 1989 in the US, focusing on all Commodore color computers, but especially the Commodore 64 and Amiga.
History
The first issue of ''Ahoy!'' was published in January 198 ...
'' called PROMAL for the Commodore 64 "one of the best" structured languages. It concluded "As an introduction to structured programming languages and as an alternative to BASIC, PROMAL is well worth the time needed to learn it and the $49.95 to purchase it".
Example Code
From the PROMAL program disk:
PROGRAM SIEVE
; Sieve of Eratosthenes Benchmark
; test (BYTE magazine)
; 10 iterations, 1800 element array.
INCLUDE LIBRARY
CON SIZE=1800
WORD I
WORD J
WORD PRIME
WORD K
WORD COUNT
BYTE FLAGS
IZE
Oxford spelling (also ''Oxford English Dictionary'' spelling, Oxford style, or Oxford English spelling) is a spelling standard, named after its use by the University of Oxford, that prescribes the use of British spelling in combination with th ...
BEGIN
OUTPUT "10 ITERATIONS"
FOR J= 1 TO 10
COUNT=0
FILL FLAGS, SIZE, TRUE
FOR I= 0 TO SIZE
IF FLAGS
PRIME=I+I+3
K=I+PRIME
WHILE K <= SIZE
FLAGS
FALSE
K=K+PRIME
COUNT=COUNT+1
OUTPUT "#C#I PRIMES", COUNT
END
References
External links
PROMAL for the Commodore 64
C programming language family
{{Compu-lang-stub