From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,8f8cea8602e61aba X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: eachus@spectre.mitre.org (Robert I. Eachus) Subject: Re: The Red Language Date: 1997/10/03 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 277665976 References: <340E2DC5.25D7@worldnet.att.net> Organization: The Mitre Corp., Bedford, MA. Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1997-10-03T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Charles Lindsey (chl@clw.cs.man.ac.uk) writes: > In the REAL "bad old days" (before programmers took to eating quiche), the > passes were done to/from tape. Which type of tape? I've used compilers that required multiple source passes of paper tape, magnetic tape, and punched cards. One compiler required 11 passes! The worst was a 4 pass compiler for the IBM 650 that required reloading card decks, since the likelihood of disaster between passes was low with either type of tape. The problem wasn't dropping your deck on the floor, assuming you numbered the deck and had a card sorter handy. The problem was that the old mechanical card readers were likely to eat a card or three each pass. The standard tactic was to dup your deck, and keep that as a master, duplicating cards from it to replace those eaten. -- Robert I. Eachus with Standard_Disclaimer; use Standard_Disclaimer; function Message (Text: in Clever_Ideas) return Better_Ideas is...