Dinosaur
Joined 24 August 2022
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The COBOL programme would read text into variables A and B, set values into x and y, and if A was "numeric" and B was "numeric", proceed. Alas, I was unclear on the distinction between programme source statements, and run-time compiled code. There are of course many languages whereby exactly this would work, possibly with the introduction of something like an "evaluate(A)" statement, but, COBOL is not one of them. Ah well.
In 1970 at Auckland University, the Applied Mathematics class introduced the AMI computer, a decimal computer with a thousand five-digit words of storage, which one programmed in machine code only, thus learning about the bootstrap, the loader and the relocating loader, as well as writing assembler programmes to calculate sin(x), etc. with Tschebychev polynomials used to spread the accuracy more evenly and with fewer terms though odder coefficients. This computer was actually manifested via an interpreter on an IBM1130. We were also introduced to Fortran IV, and could have actual operating access to its predecessor, an IBM1620 which worked in Fortran II.
Later that year I wrote an interpreter for the AMI system for the IBM1620, and thereby won four milkshakes from a friend, Michael Dowling, who took the AMI course the following year and used my programme for test runs. On one of his assignments, he had difficulty and test runs were facilitated by the immediate feedback. I happened by, and the discussion went somewhat as follows:
"It will work." "No, it won't" - first milkshake.
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