Path: csiph.com!x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder3.hal-mli.net!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder1.hal-mli.net!news.linkpendium.com!news.linkpendium.com!news.iecc.com!nerds-end From: glen herrmannsfeldt Newsgroups: comp.compilers Subject: Re: macros, Looking for volunteers for XL Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2011 04:24:22 +0000 (UTC) Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Lines: 25 Sender: news@iecc.com Approved: comp.compilers@iecc.com Message-ID: <11-12-012@comp.compilers> References: <11-11-048@comp.compilers> <11-11-053@comp.compilers> <11-11-054@comp.compilers> <11-11-061@comp.compilers> <11-11-064@comp.compilers> <11-11-069@comp.compilers> <11-12-010@comp.compilers> NNTP-Posting-Host: news.iecc.com X-Trace: leila.iecc.com 1323227952 50823 64.57.183.58 (7 Dec 2011 03:19:12 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@iecc.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2011 03:19:12 +0000 (UTC) Keywords: macros, design Posted-Date: 06 Dec 2011 22:19:12 EST X-submission-address: compilers@iecc.com X-moderator-address: compilers-request@iecc.com X-FAQ-and-archives: http://compilers.iecc.com Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.compilers:384 Gene Wirchenko wrote: > On Tue, 29 Nov 2011 07:37:49 +0000 (UTC), His Excellence, The > Moderator wrote: >>[The faux Algol-68 was pretty amazing. For that matter, so was the >>PL/I preprocessor, which let you write entire programs that run at >>compile time. -John] > ISTR that there were macro assemblers that did the same. I recall > an example of Towers of Hanoi being solved that way. > [The assembler for IBM mainframes still does. -John] I don't know if they still do, but for S/360 and S/370 the assembler was used to generate programs, JCL and all, for sysgen. The traditional method was to punch on real cards, and then put those cards in a real card reader. Now they get punched on virtual cards and go into a virtual card reader. (At least for emulated hosts.) I don't know if this is still used for z/OS, though. And still not quite as powerful as the PL/I preprocessor. -- glen