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Re: SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C)

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From Kragen Javier Sitaker <kragen@canonical.org>
Newsgroups comp.lang.misc, alt.folklore.computers
Subject Re: SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C)
Date Fri, 28 Aug 2026 15:28:39 -0300
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scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:

> Kragen Javier Sitaker <kragen@canonical.org> writes:
>>scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>> Those clever people _were_ cranking out suitable systems languages by
>>> the bucketful. (...), HP-3000 SPL (Systems Programming Language - I
>>> used SPL in the late 70s)
>
> With the caveat that I last used it a half century ago, I'd call it
> a bit lower level (closer to the hardware) than C.   It is tailored
> around the stack-based HP-3000 architecture.  As the HP3000 architecture
> was influenced by ex-Burroughs large systems engineers, it is closer
> to Burroughs ALGOL-based system languages than C.

That’s interesting — that wasn’t apparent from the parts of the manul I
glanced over.  (I hope that doesn’t sound like I doubt you!)  The HP
3000 didn’t do memory security the way the B5000/B5500 did, did it?
With segment descriptors granting fine-grained access to memory, like
CHERI today?  I had the impression that it was a relatively conventional
16-bit mini except for having an instruction set that was a more
convenient compile target — more like the HP 9825 than like the
Burroughs 5500.

What did SPL do to expose the hardware that C doesn’t do?  That’s
exactly the kind of insight I was hoping for when I saw your post!  It’s
difficult to extract such informtion from language manuals.

Kragen

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Thread

Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-05-10 13:05 +0000
  Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2026-05-12 02:28 +0100
    Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-05-11 18:37 -0700
      Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2026-05-12 22:32 +0100
        Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2026-05-12 15:28 -0700
          Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> - 2026-05-13 02:49 +0200
        Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-05-12 23:21 +0000
          Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> - 2026-05-13 02:53 +0200
            Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-05-13 14:15 +0000
              Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> - 2026-05-13 12:30 -0700
                Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-05-13 20:20 +0000
          SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C) Kragen Javier Sitaker <kragen@canonical.org> - 2026-08-27 21:30 -0300
            Re: SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C) Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-08-28 04:32 +0000
            Re: SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C) Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-08-28 04:33 +0000
            Re: SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C) scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-08-28 14:14 +0000
              Re: SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C) Kragen Javier Sitaker <kragen@canonical.org> - 2026-08-28 15:28 -0300
                Re: SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C) scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-08-28 19:18 +0000
                Re: SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C) Kragen Javier Sitaker <kragen@canonical.org> - 2026-08-28 21:13 -0300
                Re: SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C) Lars Poulsen <lars@beagle-ears.com> - 2026-08-29 06:14 -0700
                Re: SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C) Kragen Javier Sitaker <kragen@canonical.org> - 2026-08-29 15:19 -0300
    Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-05-12 02:40 +0000
      Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') Bart <bc@freeuk.com> - 2026-05-12 15:11 +0100
    Re: Alternatives to C (was Re: Safety of casting from 'long' to 'int') Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-21 13:59 +0800

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