From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 15682 invoked from network); 22 May 2020 23:58:58 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 22 May 2020 23:58:58 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 86CCE9C91B; Sat, 23 May 2020 09:58:57 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0E35E9C62E; Sat, 23 May 2020 09:58:39 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=pass (2048-bit key; unprotected) header.d=messagingengine.com header.i=@messagingengine.com header.b="z81HdjMs"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 56BB19C62E; Sat, 23 May 2020 09:58:37 +1000 (AEST) Received: from forward5-smtp.messagingengine.com (forward5-smtp.messagingengine.com [66.111.4.239]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 107579C606 for ; Sat, 23 May 2020 09:58:36 +1000 (AEST) Received: from compute2.internal (compute2.nyi.internal [10.202.2.42]) by mailforward.nyi.internal (Postfix) with ESMTP id C224E1941FE6 for ; Fri, 22 May 2020 19:58:32 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mailfrontend2 ([10.202.2.163]) by compute2.internal (MEProxy); Fri, 22 May 2020 19:58:32 -0400 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d= messagingengine.com; h=content-transfer-encoding:content-type :date:from:in-reply-to:message-id:mime-version:references :subject:to:x-me-proxy:x-me-proxy:x-me-sender:x-me-sender :x-sasl-enc; s=fm2; bh=Yk44/SFJ0DXhoDMxyXrw9ftDZfbh6q+//fiYXf0fi gc=; b=z81HdjMs9QK10iGNbrJ3ZkUxiDf7+CtTzkLdwZFc1VmXxrmWmnK7h62ae j1eyupfwrdHTS/ctHt2gI3lYr30m0ADL6x/EVI2jbxcw66VDscyuaIIKXpaehHTu clHVcAwfow6EbEmgWf4WCVNqP1mVi5sp4Pqzv7hHEqJr1yr1KoM95vdZIeKdQ7dH 3YbW6sYXDVOADEbUervzD+wrhLVekjn9NrpeXcG+XrRlTELBRTkj1oowL2osohoR GHOb/du2mSKlmeHFonX+Ks+uNWxt43lQsL8FP41Ax5wAfviJvybsMV+eTm99ff1G yc6siSHgG3jLrrdDICvndjbt3MeMw== X-ME-Sender: X-ME-Proxy-Cause: gggruggvucftvghtrhhoucdtuddrgeduhedruddugedgvdeiucetufdoteggodetrfdotf fvucfrrhhofhhilhgvmecuhfgrshhtofgrihhlpdfqfgfvpdfurfetoffkrfgpnffqhgen uceurghilhhouhhtmecufedttdenucesvcftvggtihhpihgvnhhtshculddquddttddmne cujfgurheptggguffhjgffgffkfhfvofesthhqmhdthhdtjeenucfhrhhomhephghinhcu vfhrvggvshgvuceothhrvggvshgvsegrtghmrdhorhhgqeenucggtffrrghtthgvrhhnpe euiefhtdfhhffhtdefgeetgfeviedvvefhleefheeghfetteevudfhuefggffhveenucff ohhmrghinhepghhoohhglhgvrdgtohhmnecukfhppeduhedurddvtdefrdehkedrvdefge enucevlhhushhtvghrufhiiigvpedtnecurfgrrhgrmhepmhgrihhlfhhrohhmpehtrhgv vghsvgesrggtmhdrohhrgh X-ME-Proxy: Received: from cirocco.treese.org (pool-151-203-58-234.bstnma.fios.verizon.net [151.203.58.234]) by mail.messagingengine.com (Postfix) with ESMTPA id 4B12B30664B4 for ; Fri, 22 May 2020 19:58:32 -0400 (EDT) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Mime-Version: 1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 12.4 \(3445.104.14\)) From: Win Treese In-Reply-To: <5cef3bd0-5dfc-2d4a-cdde-9d7b03dea353@telegraphics.com.au> Date: Fri, 22 May 2020 19:58:31 -0400 X-Mao-Original-Outgoing-Id: 611884711.599225-ff8d5a11250e0342a9c6748a11b23922 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Message-Id: <8B69B753-0713-430E-8A1A-AE23206127AC@acm.org> References: <5cef3bd0-5dfc-2d4a-cdde-9d7b03dea353@telegraphics.com.au> To: TUHS main list X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.3445.104.14) Subject: Re: [TUHS] where did "main" come from? 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: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" > On May 22, 2020, at 7:33 PM, Toby Thain = wrote: >=20 >> As for your BCPL question, START() was way I learned it. I think I >> first saw it on the 360s or maybe the 1108; but really never did much = it >> until I saw the first Altos.=20 >=20 > This chart could lead to some predictable conclusions, don't know if > they are correct: >=20 > = https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=3Dmain+program&year_start=3D= 1930&year_end=3D2008&corpus=3D17&smoothing=3D3&share=3D&direct_url=3Dt1%3B= %2Cmain%20program%3B%2Cc0 This is straying way off topic, but I thought it would be interesting to = look at a couple of older sources about it, say, from the late 1940s = when there were computers with programs. A search on Google Books in the date range 1800-1950 gives a lot of hits = (at least 10 screens worth). Since it=E2=80=99s Google, your results may = vary, but here are the first few I got: - US Congress hearings on National Health Program, 1946: "Any discussion = on either the main program or the amendment to=E2=80=A6=E2=80=9D Fair = enough. Got the phrase, it=E2=80=99s in the range. Just not relevant to = the current investigation. - C Programming: Test Your Skills by Ashok Kamthane, dated by Google = Books to 1900 - Information Circular, dated 1925, with the excerpt starting =E2=80=9CIt = consists of a main program, two subroutine subprograms, A macro-flow = chart of the program is shown on figure A-1=E2=80=9D. Which seems odd, = because that pretty clearly isn=E2=80=99t really from 1925. So I clicked = through the document, which turns out to be Information Circular 1601: = Corrosion Resistance of Metals in Hot Brines: A Literature Review=E2=80=9D= published by the US Bureau of Mines in 1973. It also does not have the excerpt in the document. - Programming Techniques Through C: A Beginners Companion by M. G. = Venkateshmurthy, dated 1900. - Technical Bulletin, Issues 206-216, dated 1922 with the excerpt "The = main program (MAIN) will be discussed first and then each of the = subroutines called by the main program. Sometimes the subroutines called = by the main program call other subroutines.=E2=80=9D. Clicking through = to it gives the response =E2=80=9CNo results in this book for =E2=80=98mai= n program=E2=80=99=E2=80=9D. This turns out to be incorrect, because = somewhere between the Google Books server and my Safari browser the = search string was mishandled. Changing it in the search box gives 3 = snippets referencing =E2=80=9Cmain program=E2=80=9D, and the document is = apparently about a FORTRAN program compiled with the CDC6400 FTN version = 3 compiler. However, nothing more than the snippets is available and the = 1922 date is obviously wrong. Remaining items on the first page are similarly clearly misdated or = about non-computer main programs. No one said archival research is easy, but Google Books does present = itself as having better data than it delivers. - Win