Study of a Computer Directly Implementing an Algebraic Language

摘要

A system design is given for a computer capable of direct execution of FORTRAN source statements. The allowed types of statements are the FORTRAN Arithmetic, DO, GO TO, computed GO TO, arithmetic IF, READ, PRINT, DIMENSION, CONTINUE, PAUSE and END statements. Up to two subscripts are allowed for variables and no FORMAT statement is required. The programmers source program is converted to a slightly modified from while being loaded and placed in a Program Area in lower memory. His original variable names and statement numbers are retained in a Symbol Table in upper memory, which also serves as the data storage area. During execution of the program each FORTRAN statement is read and interpreted at basic circuit speed since the machine is a hardware interpreter for these statements. The machine corresponds therefore to a 'one-pass, load-and-GO' compiler except, of course, that there is no translation to a different machine language. The design information is presented in the form of Mealy state diagrams for each of the statement loading and execution circuits plus some utility circuits. A method is also described for going from the state diagrams to the logic circuits which generate and sequence the required microsteps (register gate control signals, memory read and write commands, etc.) (Author)