Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!usenet.blueworldhosting.com!feeder01.blueworldhosting.com!border2.nntp.dca1.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!news.iecc.com!.POSTED!nerds-end From: wclodius@earthlink.net (William Clodius) Newsgroups: comp.compilers Subject: Re: BNF, was specifying semantics Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 22:00:15 -0600 Organization: Compilers Central Lines: 29 Sender: news@iecc.com Approved: comp.compilers@iecc.com Message-ID: <14-07-002@comp.compilers> References: <14-06-010@comp.compilers> <14-06-023@comp.compilers> <14-06-025@comp.compilers> <14-06-026@comp.compilers> <14-06-028@comp.compilers> NNTP-Posting-Host: news.iecc.com X-Trace: miucha.iecc.com 1404356818 27118 2001:470:1f07:1126:0:676f:7373:6970 (3 Jul 2014 03:06:58 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@iecc.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2014 03:06:58 +0000 (UTC) Keywords: syntax Posted-Date: 02 Jul 2014 23:06:58 EDT X-submission-address: compilers@iecc.com X-moderator-address: compilers-request@iecc.com X-FAQ-and-archives: http://compilers.iecc.com Xref: csiph.com comp.compilers:1292 George Neuner wrote: > On Sat, 28 Jun 2014 20:10:27 +0100, Andy Walker > wrote: > > >On 26/06/14 05:54, George Neuner wrote: > >> [...] What we refer to as "Backus-Naur Form" > >> today is not the original used for Algol-58, [...]. > > >Backus proposed his system for "metalinguistic formulae" [as used > >in the Algol 60 report] in 1959, and it was adopted by Naur, the > >editor of the papers and the report defining Algol 60. > > Yup, I goofed: BNF was Algol 60, not 58. > > Incidentally, Naur didn't simply adopt Backus's forms, he made a > number of improvements. There was a move early to call it Backus > Normal Form, but Naur's contribution was deemed significant enough > that it came to called Backus-Naur instead. Backus designed his initial version of BNF to describe the syntax of Algol 58 for the International Conference on Information Processing of UNESCO in 1959. Peter Naur in attending the conference was surprised to discover that the syntax that Backus presented was different from what he thought. He then examined the original report and discovered that the desciption was ambiguous, and was compatible with both Backus's and his interpretation. He also recognized that BNF would allow an unambiguous description and adapted it for the Algol 60 report.