GCC Patches Posted for Half-Century Old Algol 68 Programming Language
An Oracle engineer has introduced patches for the ALGOL 68 front-end for GCC, enhancing its usability in modern systems. Not all features are implemented, and acceptance into GCC remains uncertain.
Read original article
An Oracle engineer has introduced a set of work-in-progress patches for the ALGOL 68 programming language front-end for the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC). This development comes as a surprise, given ALGOL 68's niche status since its inception in 1968. The patches aim to facilitate the use of ALGOL 68 in modern systems, allowing enthusiasts to write and share programs more easily. Jose Marchesi, the engineer behind the patches, noted that while the front-end can currently compile most of the language's main constructs, not all features have been implemented yet. He expressed hope that GNU Algol 68 could serve as a strict super-language of the original ALGOL 68 report. The patches are available for review on the GCC mailing list, and their acceptance into the mainline GCC will depend on further progress and evaluation throughout 2025.
- Work-in-progress patches for ALGOL 68 front-end for GCC have been posted.
- ALGOL 68 is a niche programming language that debuted in 1968.
- The patches aim to enhance the usability of ALGOL 68 in modern programming environments.
- Not all features of ALGOL 68 are implemented in the current patches.
- The future acceptance of these patches into mainline GCC is uncertain and will require further review.
Related
An Update on Gccrs Development
The gccrs project, a Rust frontend for GCC, has made significant progress, reducing upstream commits to 40, focusing on key features, and aims to compile the Rust core library despite challenges.
GCC Preparing to Set C23 "GNU23" as Default C Language Version
GCC plans to make C23 (GNU23) the default C language version with GCC 15, requiring test case updates. Some features remain unimplemented, but a stable release is expected early next year.
Algol-68 seemed like a good idea – until it wasn't
Algol-68, developed in the 1960s as an extension of Algol-60, became overly complex, faced criticism, struggled for industry support, and ultimately failed to achieve broader success despite niche applications.
21 Algol 60 Compilers in 1962
In 1962, ALGOL 60's introduction spurred compiler development, facing challenges like limited resources. Median implementation time was two man-years, with academic influences contrasting corporate-driven languages like Fortran and COBOL.
Patches Posted for Review Adding COBOL Front End to GCC Compiler
Patches for a COBOL frontend in the GNU Compiler Collection have been submitted, aiming to integrate COBOL support into the mainline codebase, enhancing productivity and marking a significant update for the language.
2 commentsTwo fun features: semaphores as a language construct, as well as a block for parallelized statements.
Related
An Update on Gccrs Development
The gccrs project, a Rust frontend for GCC, has made significant progress, reducing upstream commits to 40, focusing on key features, and aims to compile the Rust core library despite challenges.
GCC Preparing to Set C23 "GNU23" as Default C Language Version
GCC plans to make C23 (GNU23) the default C language version with GCC 15, requiring test case updates. Some features remain unimplemented, but a stable release is expected early next year.
Algol-68 seemed like a good idea – until it wasn't
Algol-68, developed in the 1960s as an extension of Algol-60, became overly complex, faced criticism, struggled for industry support, and ultimately failed to achieve broader success despite niche applications.
21 Algol 60 Compilers in 1962
In 1962, ALGOL 60's introduction spurred compiler development, facing challenges like limited resources. Median implementation time was two man-years, with academic influences contrasting corporate-driven languages like Fortran and COBOL.
Patches Posted for Review Adding COBOL Front End to GCC Compiler
Patches for a COBOL frontend in the GNU Compiler Collection have been submitted, aiming to integrate COBOL support into the mainline codebase, enhancing productivity and marking a significant update for the language.