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Kvikkalkul: secret programming language of the Swedish Navy

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  Kvikkalkul: secret programming language of the Swedish Navy RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2015-02-26 11:45 +0000
    Re: Kvikkalkul: secret programming language of the Swedish Navy Oregonian Haruspex <bob_davis_retired@yahoo.com> - 2015-02-26 23:24 -0800
      Re: Kvikkalkul: secret programming language of the Swedish Navy RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2015-02-27 13:19 +0000
        Re: Kvikkalkul: secret programming language of the Swedish Navy "Dirk T. Verbeek" <dverbeek@xs4all.nl> - 2015-02-27 21:13 +0100
        Re: Kvikkalkul: secret programming language of the Swedish Navy Oregonian Haruspex <bob_davis_retired@yahoo.com> - 2015-02-27 15:47 -0800
          Re: Kvikkalkul: secret programming language of the Swedish Navy Bob Eager <news0005@eager.cx> - 2015-02-27 23:48 +0000
            Re: Kvikkalkul: secret programming language of the Swedish Navy Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-02-28 11:08 +0200
              Re: Kvikkalkul: secret programming language of the Swedish Navy Bob Eager <news0005@eager.cx> - 2015-02-28 12:22 +0000

#6824 — Kvikkalkul: secret programming language of the Swedish Navy

http://workbench.cadenhead.org/book/homepage24/kvikkalkul/

Interesting!  For bonus points, the badge "This site made with Claris
Home Page."  Hadn't thought of that old software in many years.  How
time flies.

//--clip
This Web site is devoted to Kvikkalkul, the secret programming language of the Swedish Navy. In October 1994, the language was described in a Usenet message by an anonymous programmer who used Kvikkalkul in 1957 to write submarine weapons guidance programs and an accounting program.

 Documentation

The original Usenet posting about Kvikkalkul
A second Usenet posting offering more details
A third Usenet posting with example source code
The Kvikkalkul 95 announcement
 Programs

A Kvikkalkul-to-C translator by Asher Hoskins
A PowerMac version distributed by Brian Conners
 Help

Some Kvikkalkul resources are no longer available. Your help is needed to keep this language from being lost to future generations of computer programmers.

-- 
RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com
Posting to comp.misc, sci.misc, and misc.news.internet.discuss.

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#6829

On 2015-02-26 11:45:49 +0000, RS Wood said:

> http://workbench.cadenhead.org/book/homepage24/kvikkalkul/
> 
> Interesting!  For bonus points, the badge "This site made with Claris
> Home Page."  Hadn't thought of that old software in many years.  How
> time flies.
> 
> //--clip
> This Web site is devoted to Kvikkalkul, the secret programming language 
> of the Swedish Navy. In October 1994, the language was described in a 
> Usenet message by an anonymous programmer who used Kvikkalkul in 1957 
> to write submarine weapons guidance programs and an accounting program.
> 
>  Documentation
> 
> The original Usenet posting about Kvikkalkul
> A second Usenet posting offering more details
> A third Usenet posting with example source code
> The Kvikkalkul 95 announcement
>  Programs
> 
> A Kvikkalkul-to-C translator by Asher Hoskins
> A PowerMac version distributed by Brian Conners
>  Help
> 
> Some Kvikkalkul resources are no longer available. Your help is needed 
> to keep this language from being lost to future generations of computer 
> programmers.

Part of me thinks that April 1st came early this year...

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#6834

On 2015-02-27, Oregonian Haruspex <bob_davis_retired@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Some Kvikkalkul resources are no longer available. Your help is
>> needed to keep this language from being lost to future generations of
>> computer programmers.
>
> Part of me thinks that April 1st came early this year...

If the site was made with Claris HomePage, it's more likely that April
1st came early about 19 years ago (yikes, has it been that long?)

It would be interesting if a Swedish speaker could tell us what that
word means.  As for unique languages, this thing dates back to the
1960s, a time when creating a new language wasn't that unheard of and
computer scientists were far more accustomed with going straight to the
bare metal layer, or just above.

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#6845

Op 27-02-15 om 14:19 schreef RS Wood:
> On 2015-02-27, Oregonian Haruspex <bob_davis_retired@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> Some Kvikkalkul resources are no longer available. Your help is
>>> needed to keep this language from being lost to future generations of
>>> computer programmers.
>>
>> Part of me thinks that April 1st came early this year...
>
> If the site was made with Claris HomePage, it's more likely that April
> 1st came early about 19 years ago (yikes, has it been that long?)
>
> It would be interesting if a Swedish speaker could tell us what that
> word means.  As for unique languages, this thing dates back to the
> 1960s, a time when creating a new language wasn't that unheard of and
> computer scientists were far more accustomed with going straight to the
> bare metal layer, or just above.
>
Is it really that hard to figure out kvikkalkul stands for quick 
calcul(ator)?

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#6850

On 2015-02-27 13:19:09 +0000, RS Wood said:

> On 2015-02-27, Oregonian Haruspex <bob_davis_retired@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> Some Kvikkalkul resources are no longer available. Your help is
>>> needed to keep this language from being lost to future generations of
>>> computer programmers.
>> 
>> Part of me thinks that April 1st came early this year...
> 
> If the site was made with Claris HomePage, it's more likely that April
> 1st came early about 19 years ago (yikes, has it been that long?)

If I post a document I created today with my IIGS's Writer's Choice 
Elite would you come to the same conclusion?  Just yesterday I was 
moving some files off my Powerbook 5300c.  All one needs is an emulator 
or an old computer to generate old looking files.

Not that it's concrete proof, but archive.org has no record of that 
page before September 16, 2009.  However Google's archive does indeed 
show a posting from 1994 now that I look!

Maybe it's old but I'm not convinced that it isn't a practical joke.

> It would be interesting if a Swedish speaker could tell us what that
> word means.  As for unique languages, this thing dates back to the
> 1960s, a time when creating a new language wasn't that unheard of and
> computer scientists were far more accustomed with going straight to the
> bare metal layer, or just above.

I don't speak Swedish but I can tell you without looking at anything 
but the word that it means "quick calculator."

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#6851

On Fri, 27 Feb 2015 15:47:21 -0800, Oregonian Haruspex wrote:

> On 2015-02-27 13:19:09 +0000, RS Wood said:
> 
>> On 2015-02-27, Oregonian Haruspex <bob_davis_retired@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>> Some Kvikkalkul resources are no longer available. Your help is
>>>> needed to keep this language from being lost to future generations of
>>>> computer programmers.
>>> 
>>> Part of me thinks that April 1st came early this year...
>> 
>> If the site was made with Claris HomePage, it's more likely that April
>> 1st came early about 19 years ago (yikes, has it been that long?)
> 
> If I post a document I created today with my IIGS's Writer's Choice
> Elite would you come to the same conclusion?  Just yesterday I was
> moving some files off my Powerbook 5300c.  All one needs is an emulator
> or an old computer to generate old looking files.
> 
> Not that it's concrete proof, but archive.org has no record of that page
> before September 16, 2009.  However Google's archive does indeed show a
> posting from 1994 now that I look!
> 
> Maybe it's old but I'm not convinced that it isn't a practical joke.
> 
>> It would be interesting if a Swedish speaker could tell us what that
>> word means.  As for unique languages, this thing dates back to the
>> 1960s, a time when creating a new language wasn't that unheard of and
>> computer scientists were far more accustomed with going straight to the
>> bare metal layer, or just above.
> 
> I don't speak Swedish but I can tell you without looking at anything but
> the word that it means "quick calculator."

A Swedish student of mine says he's never come across the word. More 
likely to be 'cod Swedish' (as from the 'Swedish chef').



-- 
Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
 http://www.mirrorservice.org

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#6857

Bob Eager <news0005@eager.cx>:

> On Fri, 27 Feb 2015 15:47:21 -0800, Oregonian Haruspex wrote:
>> I don't speak Swedish but I can tell you without looking at anything
>> but the word that it means "quick calculator."
>
> A Swedish student of mine says he's never come across the word. More
> likely to be 'cod Swedish' (as from the 'Swedish chef').

<URL: http://en.bab.la/dictionary/swedish-english/kvick>

   kvick (adjective)
   flash · quick · bright · witty · salty · expeditious · nimble ·
   snappy · double-quick

<URL: http://en.bab.la/dictionary/swedish-english/kalkyl>

   kalkyl (noun)
   estimate · calculation · calculus

So why "kvik" instead of "kvick?" Possible explanations:

 * The engineer who coined the name wasn't very good at spelling.

 * It was a secret language after all.

 * Swedish has a spelling rule that triple consonants (occurring in
   compound words) are shortened to double consontants:

     till + låta => tillåta

   Also, a double "k" is rendered "ck" (as in English). So we have:

     kvick + kalkul => kvikkalkul

So why "kalkul" instead of "kalkyl?" Possible explanations:

 * The engineer who coined the name wasn't very good at spelling.

 * It was a secret language after all.

 * In some areas of Sweden the sounds for "u" /ʉː/ and "y" /yː/ have all
   but merged, leading to spelling confusion especially under pressure
   from English.


Marko

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#6858

On Sat, 28 Feb 2015 11:08:12 +0200, Marko Rauhamaa wrote:

> Bob Eager <news0005@eager.cx>:
> 
>> On Fri, 27 Feb 2015 15:47:21 -0800, Oregonian Haruspex wrote:
>>> I don't speak Swedish but I can tell you without looking at anything
>>> but the word that it means "quick calculator."
>>
>> A Swedish student of mine says he's never come across the word. More
>> likely to be 'cod Swedish' (as from the 'Swedish chef').
> 
> <URL: http://en.bab.la/dictionary/swedish-english/kvick>
> 
>    kvick (adjective)
>    flash · quick · bright · witty · salty · expeditious · nimble ·
>    snappy · double-quick
> 
> <URL: http://en.bab.la/dictionary/swedish-english/kalkyl>
> 
>    kalkyl (noun)
>    estimate · calculation · calculus
> 
> So why "kvik" instead of "kvick?" Possible explanations:
> 
>  * The engineer who coined the name wasn't very good at spelling.
> 
>  * It was a secret language after all.
> 
>  * Swedish has a spelling rule that triple consonants (occurring in
>    compound words) are shortened to double consontants:
> 
>      till + låta => tillåta
> 
>    Also, a double "k" is rendered "ck" (as in English). So we have:
> 
>      kvick + kalkul => kvikkalkul
> 
> So why "kalkul" instead of "kalkyl?" Possible explanations:
> 
>  * The engineer who coined the name wasn't very good at spelling.
> 
>  * It was a secret language after all.
> 
>  * In some areas of Sweden the sounds for "u" /ʉː/ and "y" /yː/ have all
>    but merged, leading to spelling confusion especially under pressure
>    from English.

Obviously your Swedish is better than his! I'll tell him...


-- 
Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
 http://www.mirrorservice.org

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