On Sat, Nov 19, 2016 at 12:49 PM, Jon Elson <el...@pico-systems.com> wrote:
> On 11/18/2016 10:17 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote: > >> On 11/18/2016 07:59 PM, Jon Elson wrote: >> >> Yes, I think it had to, as it had no adder. Had to be >>> incomprehensibly slow. I guess it would load the memory to an >>> internal register a piece at a time. >>> >> The last time I dug around a bit for model 20 software, I was surprised >> to find that there was not only a FORTRAN, but a PL/I and a COBOL >> written for the thing. >> >> By and large, the only applications that I ever saw were RPG. I can't >> begin to imagine how slow a COBOL would be, much less a PL/I. >> >> PL/I ?? No, I really can't believe it! Was this a cross-compiler? > Remember, MANY /20s had 4K memory and no disk. There also was no OS, so no > file system support. I can imagine a cross-compiler being of some use, as > small programs ought to work OK. The only sensible reason for FORTRAN > would be scientific computing, and since the /20 had no floating point, I > can barely imagine how slow a double precision FP multiply would be. I > would have to guess close to a second! I think a Monroematic calculator > could give it good competition, and some of the early programmable > calculators (Wang and such) could almost certainly outdo it. > > I'd rather be hitting myself on the head with a hammer than try to do > serious computing on a 360/20. > It makes even a PDP-8 look like a real workhorse. > > Jon > True, but for all that I have read about the actual use of the /20 that was not what it was for. IBM used the /20's as a smart terminal and that kind of thing. The thing in between the mainframe and something else operating in a remote location, and so on.
