Talk:JOVIAL
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Who's Jules? -- Zoe
While a journeyman programmer using JOVIAL (in 1979-1983), I had been given to understand that Jules was a Project Manager for the JOVIAL language (a financial, non-technical position), and that his name was on the contract which created the project.
The following explanation comes from a more reliable source. The wiki description of Jules Schwartz being a leader or critical to the creation of the language seem over done in light of this reference.
This is from http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/1996/04/jovial.asp:
- The high order language JOVIAL was developed for the U.S. Air Force by the System Development Corporation (SDC) in the late 1950s. The name originally recommended was OVIAL, for Our Own Version of the International Algebraic Language. Jules Schwartz, a computer scientist then employed at SDC, wrote,
- "In the late 1950s, society wasn't quite as free thinking as it is today. The name OVIAL seemed to have a connotation relative to the birth process that did not seem acceptable to some people."
- At a January 1959 meeting, the subject of an acceptable name was discussed. Someone suggested the name JOVIAL as the easiest transition from OVIAL. The question of the meaning of the "J" arose. Since Jules Schwartz was standing in the front of the room conducting the meeting, someone suggested the language be called, "Jules' Own Version of the International Algebraic Language." The meeting ended without finalizing the name, but when a contract for SDC to develop the language and a compiler was published, the arbitrarily chosen name was used, and it has stuck. [1]
- 1. JOVIAL Language Control Facility Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 3, June 1982.
Most wikipedia pages on programming languages contain some overview of syntax, interesting features, and hello world type programs. Could someone familiar with JOVIAL write up some of this?
Wws 6/8/2006
The following is an update on 9/17/06. I am quite able to answer the question above--"Who's Jules?". I am Jules, Currently retired and a resident of California. I can also clarify a few points that were made in this discussion and the description of JOVIAL in the main article.
I was the Project Manager and was the one who provided the original definition of the language, which I called OVIAL, and the proposal and responsibility to build the first compilers for it. I also was the manager,for about two years, of the original compiler development efforts. That is the reason that I was standing in front of the above mentioned meeting. I found out about twenty years later how the word JOVIAL was put into the contract to build the compilers. Three members of the Prime Contractor organization(IEC, a subsidiary of IT&T) were at the meeting. When they went back to their offices they decided on the name change and put it into the contract, along with the schedule etc. Of course, with time, others have contributed to the development of the language.
The original compilers were for the USAF 465L System(prime contractor IEC, subcontractor SDC). They were on the IBM Main Frame AN/FSQ-32 and 7090 Computers(started on the 7090). Although pretty much after the original schedule and originally with a fair number of problems they were delivered and were used for some time. The language, or different versions of it, had compilers produced on other main frames and, eventually a variety of embedded computers. One non-military use was for the enroute Air Traffic Control System. It was originally programmed by IBM, taken over by CSC and was still in use less than ten years ago. I always assumed (but wasn't certain) that it became useful for embedded computers because it was oriented to binary computers.
JIS 9/17/06
[edit] Type-III product
Hi, I have launched a new article on IBM Type-III products. I have heard from folklore that JOVIAL was released in this manner, but I was only able to find a news post (hardly a credible source). Does anyone have some background they could share to help me with my research? John Vandenberg 09:42, 30 September 2006 (UTC)
