howell@bert.llnl.gov (Louis Howell) (09/10/90)
This started in comp.std.c++, I'm starting the cross-post to a.f.c: In article <1479@lupine.NCD.COM>, rfg@NCD.COM (Ron Guilmette) writes: |> [A bunch of stuff about ancient programs still in use.] |> Seriously, if anybody knows of very ancient lines of (unmodified and |> unmaintained) code that are still in production use, please send me |> some E-mail about it. After a couple of weeks, I'll post a follow-up |> to comp.compilers describing/announcing the oldest reported line. This thread was covered in detail in alt.folklore.computers back in July. I saved most of the discussion, but won't post it here due to length. The main contenders were various numerics programs dating back to Fortran II, some of which I have used, and the theorem prover in the Lisp 1.5 programmers manual (c. 1960). As far as the languages are concerned, most of Lisp 1.5 is still legal Common Lisp, and a couple of functions that are not in Common Lisp can easily be defined by the user. Except for a few machine-dependent commands, almost all of Fortran II is still legal Fortran 77. Fortran II is essentially Fortran I with the addition of "modern" looking functions and subroutines, so though some Fortran I code is probably still legal Fortran 77, I seriously doubt if it is still being used. Of course, some Fortran I code could have been incorporated unchanged into a Fortran II subroutine, and that could still be in use... This thread really belongs in a.f.c, not comp.compilers. Please bear this in mind, Ron, when you post your winners. -- Louis Howell "A few sums!" retorted Martens, with a trace of his old spirit. "A major navigational change, like the one needed to break us away from the comet and put us on an orbit to Earth, involves about a hundred thousand separate calculations. Even the computer needs several minutes for the job."