>> Since memory was tight originally, the language design for MUMPS valued very terse code. Thus, every MUMPS command or function name could be abbreviated from

>> Since memory was tight originally, the language design for MUMPS valued very terse code. Thus, every MUMPS command or function name could be abbreviated from one to three letters in length, e.g. Quit (exit program) as Q, $P = $Piece function, R = Read command, $TR = $Translate function. Spaces and end-of-line markers are significant in MUMPS because line scope promoted the same terse language design. That makes me think of TECO, where a string of commands resembled transmission line noise more than anything resembling program code. The most TECO that I ever learned was how to invoke VTEDIT, and I forgot that a long, long time ago. :)