From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id fadc32e2 for ; Sun, 17 Mar 2019 02:17:28 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 8520995185; Sun, 17 Mar 2019 12:17:27 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D6AFA95183; Sun, 17 Mar 2019 12:16:57 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 2CE959517F; Sun, 17 Mar 2019 12:16:55 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail.bitblocks.com (ns1.bitblocks.com [173.228.5.8]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1FE109517E for ; Sun, 17 Mar 2019 12:16:54 +1000 (AEST) Received: from bitblocks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mail.bitblocks.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7E5D5156E40C; Sat, 16 Mar 2019 19:16:32 -0700 (PDT) To: Larry McVoy In-reply-to: Your message of "Sat, 16 Mar 2019 18:05:52 -0700." <20190317010552.GF1493@mcvoy.com> References: <20190317010552.GF1493@mcvoy.com> Comments: In-reply-to Larry McVoy message dated "Sat, 16 Mar 2019 18:05:52 -0700." From: Bakul Shah MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-ID: <7573.1552788992.1@bitblocks.com> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Date: Sat, 16 Mar 2019 19:16:32 -0700 Message-Id: <20190317021639.7E5D5156E40C@mail.bitblocks.com> Subject: Re: [TUHS] In memoriam: John Backus X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Cc: The Eunuchs Hysterical Society Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" On Sat, 16 Mar 2019 18:05:52 -0700 Larry McVoy wrote: > Fortran is sort of yucky but as Clem has said, it continues to pay the b= ills. > That's some staying power. > > I am with you that it is ironic that he gave us BNF as well. One wonder= s > if he did that as a result of doing Fortran. He did FP as a result of doing Fortran. In an interview by Grady Booch he says Well, it was just trying to be at a higher level so that you didn't have to get into all those gory details and stuff. Basically, the idea was to try to describe the transformation that you wanted to take place, rather than how to do it. It evolved very slowly and peculiarly. But he said ultimately his effort failed because he couldn't see how to deal with real time. Something he worked on for years. > On Sun, Mar 17, 2019 at 12:02:39PM +1100, Dave Horsfall wrote: > > We lost computer pioneer John Backus on this day in 2007; amongst othe= r > > things he gave us FORTRAN (yuck!) and BNF, which is ironic, really, be= cause > > FORTRAN has no syntax to speak of. > > = > > -- Dave