4 ms·

What were those features that no other language has?

tjalfi 6y ago
Bliss macros[0] are pretty powerful for an infix language. I'm not sure how they compare to macros in newer languages such as Dylan, D, or Rust. [0] https://compilers.iecc.com/comparch/article/92-09-191 https://compilers.iecc.com/comparch/article/92-09-191
wglb 6y ago
Native ability to define fields within a word, macros, use of period (dot) to dereference pointers, arbitrary representations of data structures (the programmer defines the method of access of structure elements), everything is an expression, native co-routines (which can be marvelous in building co-operating processes), some control over register allocation policy (useful for interfacing with other non Bliss-programs), the idea of "plit" (pointer to a literal) which points to literals not constrained by word boundaries, built-in functions that map directly to PDP 10 instructions. [Edit] A good overall description is here: https://www.cs.tufts.edu/~nr/cs257/archive/ronald-brender/bliss.pdf https://www.cs.tufts.edu/~nr/cs257/archive/ronald-brender/bl...
- pjmlp 6y ago
  Modula-2 also has native co-routines and was how Lilith did multi-tasking. How Ada tasks work depend on the runtime configuration, one of them is just like co-routines. Using the dot for pointer access is a common feature in the Algol linage of systems programming languages, including Modula-3, Oberon and its descendents, Component Pascal, Active Oberon. Burroughs with ESPOL/NEWP is known for being the first OS written without any Assembly back in 1961, given that all CPU instructions were exposed as compiler intrisics. So not all those features were BLISS only. :)
  - wglb 6y ago
    The only one of these that I can find that were before Bliss was the Burroughs effort, which a computer scientist acquaintance said was a universal counter example to how languages were built. So if this cronology is correct, my statement should have clarified that it was the first (save for the Burroughs example) to have those features.
    - pjmlp 6y ago
      Burroughs is still being sold commercially as Unisys ClearPath, so at least NEWP is in a better shape in 2020 than BLISS. Not sure what being a counter example means. As for the rest, yeah you are right, BLISS came right in 1970.
      - wglb 6y ago
        The comment about universal counterexample was coined by Arthur Sale, then a professor of CS at University of Tasmania. In particular, he was referring to the B 6700 and C's presumption of NULL being a zero just would not work with that hardware, which had its own unique way to describe null. Another less dramatic example was the Burroughs 5500 and the fact that addresses were in decimal (bcd)--no binary in sight. Yes, I know of no running Bliss, but I would put that as due to DEC disappearing.

Bliss macros[0] are pretty powerful for an infix language. I'm not sure how they compare to macros in newer languages such as Dylan, D, or Rust. [0] https://compilers.iecc.com/comparch/article/92-09-191 https://compilers.iecc.com/comparch/article/92-09-191

wglb 6y ago

Native ability to define fields within a word, macros, use of period (dot) to dereference pointers, arbitrary representations of data structures (the programmer defines the method of access of structure elements), everything is an expression, native co-routines (which can be marvelous in building co-operating processes), some control over register allocation policy (useful for interfacing with other non Bliss-programs), the idea of "plit" (pointer to a literal) which points to literals not constrained by word boundaries, built-in functions that map directly to PDP 10 instructions. [Edit] A good overall description is here: https://www.cs.tufts.edu/~nr/cs257/archive/ronald-brender/bliss.pdf https://www.cs.tufts.edu/~nr/cs257/archive/ronald-brender/bl...

pjmlp 6y ago
Modula-2 also has native co-routines and was how Lilith did multi-tasking. How Ada tasks work depend on the runtime configuration, one of them is just like co-routines. Using the dot for pointer access is a common feature in the Algol linage of systems programming languages, including Modula-3, Oberon and its descendents, Component Pascal, Active Oberon. Burroughs with ESPOL/NEWP is known for being the first OS written without any Assembly back in 1961, given that all CPU instructions were exposed as compiler intrisics. So not all those features were BLISS only. :)
- wglb 6y ago
  The only one of these that I can find that were before Bliss was the Burroughs effort, which a computer scientist acquaintance said was a universal counter example to how languages were built. So if this cronology is correct, my statement should have clarified that it was the first (save for the Burroughs example) to have those features.
  - pjmlp 6y ago
    Burroughs is still being sold commercially as Unisys ClearPath, so at least NEWP is in a better shape in 2020 than BLISS. Not sure what being a counter example means. As for the rest, yeah you are right, BLISS came right in 1970.
    - wglb 6y ago
      The comment about universal counterexample was coined by Arthur Sale, then a professor of CS at University of Tasmania. In particular, he was referring to the B 6700 and C's presumption of NULL being a zero just would not work with that hardware, which had its own unique way to describe null. Another less dramatic example was the Burroughs 5500 and the fact that addresses were in decimal (bcd)--no binary in sight. Yes, I know of no running Bliss, but I would put that as due to DEC disappearing.