Showing papers on "User modeling published in 1965"

Interaction Between User's Needs and Language–Compiler–Computer Systems

Abstract: This paper admits the existence of commercial languages and advances no particular arguments to support or oppose them. In the opinion of the author, computer languages have been the subject of sufficient publicity, comment and criticism, over the past few years to enable any interested party to form his own opinion on their general merits. The small minority of confirmed agnostics, who derive aesthetic pleasure from bit manipulation and intricate order modification, are unlikely to be seduced by any system less elegant than their own; but the hardened core of realists who have suffered the tedious process of preparing and testing large commercial programs are now convinced of the value of machine-independent languages as programming tools, and are merely concerned about the effectiveness of the ones currently available. To these two groups may be added a third, consisting of all those on the fringe of the computer world who have not yet used a computer but have decided, for a variety of reasons, to purchase one and are shopping around for the one most likely to suit their purpose. The object of this paper is to examine some of the problems that arise, both in the design of languages which are independent of the machines with which they are intended to communicate, and in writing compilers to translate these languages for any particular machine. Three classes of languages are considered and the interrelation of each language with a range of computers is examined. It is hoped that by taking these imaginary language-compiler-computer systems and investigating the advantages and disadvantages of each, a clearer picture may emerge which will help the user or potential user to assess more accurately his own needs.