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From: Kragen Javier Sitaker <kragen@canonical.org>
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Subject: SPL/3000 (was Re: Alternatives to C)
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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)

I’m interested to hear how SPL compared to C and Pascal from your
perspective.  I’ve never talked to anyone who had the chance to use it.
Glancing at
<http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/hp/3000/spl/30000-90025_System_Programming_Language_Textbook_197709.pdf#page=124>
it looks pretty similar to them — a bit longer-winded and SHOUTIER than
C, a bit more practical than Pascal, but showing a very strong family
resemblance to both.

One difference that leaps out at me is that, as with VAR parameters in
Pascal or references in C++, dereferencing pointers apparently happens
implicitly — it’s only when you want to reseat the pointer that you need
to use the @ operator.  But possibly I’m guessing wrong, since I haven’t
actually read the textbook.

Kragen