C integral types [was Re: Semi-OT: Why Kids Can't use Computers] (fwd)

[Stewart C. Russell]

David Collier-Brown wrote:
> 
> Previous to C, and in languages from the same broad family,
> you had "words" in B, and specific numbers of digits and bits in PL/1.

There are a surprising number of UK non-computer-science types for whom
their first compiled language was one of these C-precursors: BCPL. It
was possible to write a particularly tiny compiler for the language, and
there were versions for the BBC Micro (6502) and the Amstrad CPC (Z80)
which ran from a 16 KB EPROM.

It was also the first language taught at Cambridge to all Computer
Science students. It later became the source of much ire in the Amiga
world, as early (buggy) versions of AmigaDOS were basically the Tripos
OS developed at Cambridge, entirely in BCPL.

Martin Richards still plugs along with BCPL development. He's written an
entire book teaching programming on the Raspberry Pi using BCPL: “Young
Persons Guide to BCPL Programming on the Raspberry Pi”
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mr10/bcpl4raspi.pdf

 Stewart
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