| Thread Links | Date Links | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thread Prev | Thread Next | Thread Index | Date Prev | Date Next | Date Index |
> p. 2, Section 1.8, line 2: "von Neumann languages" is not a
> frequently used term; computer science folks use "procedural
> languages", maybe we should explain what it means; this is the
> first time I hear this term, although Wikipedia proves that it is
> legit: languages which are adjusted for von Neumann architecture
von Neumann's contribution was to computer hardware architecture, not programming languages. Instead of having completely separate memories for instructions and data, his design was a unified memory containing both. A major advantage was that some programs (operating systems, compilers, etc.) can operate on other programs. Some programs can even modify themselves.
Over the years that meaning has been corrupted into describing programs and programming languages that are procedural rather than functional. We should not propagate that abuse.
- Ian McIntosh IBM Canada Lab Compiler Back End Support and Development