PACT (compiler)

PACT was a series of compilers for the IBM 701 and IBM 704 scientific computers. Their development was conducted jointly by IBM and a committee of customers starting in 1954. PACT I was developed for the 701, and PACT IA for the 704. The emphasis in that early generation of compilers was minimization of the memory footprint, because memory was a very expensive resource at the time.^[1] The word "compiler" was not in widespread use at the time, so most of the 1956 papers described it as an "(automatic) coding system",^[2][3] although the word compiler was also used in some papers.^[4][5]

See also

• Speedcoding, an interpreter for the 701
• FORTRAN
• KOMPILER
• SHARE

References

1. Allen, F. E. (September 1981). "The history of language processor technology in IBM". IBM Journal of Research and Development. 25 (5): 537. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.84.5616. doi:10.1147/rd.255.0535.
2. Melahn, Wesley S. (1956). "A Description of a Cooperative Venture in the Production of an Automatic Coding System". J. ACM. 3 (4): 266–271. doi:10.1145/320843.320844.
3. Baker, Charles L. (1956). "The PACT I Coding System for the IBM Type 701". J. ACM. 3 (4): 272–278. doi:10.1145/320843.320845.
4. Mock, Owen R. (1956). "Logical Organization of the PACT I Compiler". J. ACM. 3 (4): 279–287. doi:10.1145/320843.320846.
5. Miller, Jr., Robert C.; Oldfield, Bruce (1956). "Producing Computer Instructions for the PACT I Compiler". J. ACM. 3 (4): 288–291. doi:10.1145/320843.320847.

External links

• "JACM: Vol 3, No 4 - series of articles about PACT". Journal of the ACM. Retrieved 2023-08-08.