KAL
The first programs were written in assembly language. They
could compute expressions such as
2 * 3 + 4.
The first document production systems required the users to use the same input
methods - namely, primitive editors and formatters.
Writers/Programmers interlaced the words in the document with special
commands
to control page layout.
Such systems were very low-level formatters
in the same sense that the programming languages were low-level.
Assembly languages referred to machine parts like "ac" in the example,
and formatters referred to printer commands "line feeds" and "spaces".
These formatters didn't do much more than justify text (poorly) and used a
very limited character set.
Not only were the formatting languages primitive,
but the printers of the time were also simple (but expensive!).
The most famous of these early systems is
RUNOFF
which was was also part of
one of the earliest systems (MIT's CTSS) where the input came from a
terminal for the first time, rather than from cards.
Send questions and comments to: Karen Lemone
