I'm not very familiar with ALGOL, but just today I met someone at VCF who has essentially built a replica of the LGP-30 (in FPGA form, more on that to come down the road, but it is a system from 1955/1956). Then related to that, two different people mentioned to me of an early ALGOL compiler being available for the LGP-30. I don't know if that was of a form to be considered any kind of "block structure" as you mentioned.
But it is sad that the ego of those who "hold the pen" (as it were) for Wikipedia is influencing the content. While Google can pretty far and wide, the testimony of "someone who was there" should be considered (and can be in a section noted as such). -Steve On Sat, Feb 15, 2025 at 9:09 AM Frank Leonhardt via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > As those of us with a few years will know, Tony Hoare (and Jill's) > implementation of Algol 60 on the Elliott 803 was a highly significant > event in the history of computer languages. It was the first practical > commercial Algol compiler, launched block structures languages, and > played a part in Elliott selling nearly 300 803B computers at a time > when 300 computers was a big number. > > Obviously the US preferred Fortran and COBOL for commercial use, and > there were other Algol compilers in some shape or other knocking about > in universities. But I'd say this implementation put block structured > programming into the mainstream. (And it was the first high level > language I used, but that's beside the point). > > Now some kid on Wikipedia thinks it's not notable and is trying to > delete it because he can't find much on it doing a Google search. > Wikipedia may be sinking under activists and egos, but I think we need > to put this misapprehension straight. Unfortunately we may be arguing > with an idiot. > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_ALGOL > > If course, if anyone thinks it wasn't significant, that's an opinion > too, but I'd like to hear why. > > Thanks, Frank. > > >
