Discussion
Loading...

Post

Log in
  • About
  • Code of conduct
  • Privacy
  • Users
  • Instances
  • About Bonfire
The Medley Interlisp Project
The Medley Interlisp Project
@interlisp@fosstodon.org  ·  activity timestamp 3 weeks ago

The Software Preservation Group at the Computer History Museum compiled a list and bibliography of Interlisp implementations. Did you know that Interlisp also ran on IBM 360/370 mainframes?

https://softwarepreservation.computerhistory.org/LISP/interlisp_family.html

#interlisp #lisp #retrocomputing

Interlisp family

  • Copy link
  • Flag this post
  • Block
Weekend Editor
Weekend Editor
@weekend_editor@mathstodon.xyz replied  ·  activity timestamp 3 weeks ago

@interlisp

Ah, the "Swedish Interlisp" from Uppsala, running on IBM mainframes!

I actually used that in the 1980s, on an IBM 3080 series mainframe. The employer *insisted* on IBM hardware only, and *insisted* that even research machines had to run MVS/TSO! All terminals had to be 3270 compatible (block oriented instead of a character stream, annoyingly half-duplex so difficult to interrupt).

The commercial side of the company ran all their billing operations and databases on MVS/TSO, so we were forced to get the same. IBM was kind of a mania for corporate management in those days.

They wanted to do some AI, which is how I got into the picture. But the *only* Lisp that could get past the IT blockade was Uppsala's Interlisp, because it could run on IBM hardware under MVS/TSO.

Needless to say, it was not a pleasant experience, and probably colored my views on Interlisp. The other part was that I used Maclisp and Lisp Machine Lisp, so Interlisp just felt wrong.

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block

bonfire.cafe

A space for Bonfire maintainers and contributors to communicate

bonfire.cafe: About · Code of conduct · Privacy · Users · Instances
Bonfire social · 1.0.1 no JS en
Automatic federation enabled
Log in
  • Explore
  • About
  • Members
  • Code of Conduct