Edinburgh IMP facts for kids

Edinburgh IMP is a computer programming language. It was created at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland around 1966-1969. This language grew out of an earlier one called Atlas Autocode.

IMP was a general-purpose programming language. This means it could be used for many different kinds of computer tasks. It was especially important for systems programming. This is the kind of programming used to build the basic software that makes computers work, like operating systems.

What Makes IMP Special?

IMP is a lot like another famous language called ALGOL. It uses similar ways to organize code, like blocks and special words called reserved words or keywords. It also uses similar data types, such as arrays and records.

But IMP also added some cool new features:

• Strings: It could handle strings of text, which are like words or sentences. This made it easier to work with text.
• Memory Control: IMP gave programmers a lot of control over how data was stored in the computer's memory.
• Safety Checks: Most IMP compilers (programs that turn code into computer instructions) automatically included checks. These checks helped find mistakes in the code while it was running. They also provided a "stack trace" to show where an error happened.
• Machine Language: Programmers could even put direct machine language instructions right into their IMP code. This gave them very precise control over the computer.

Where Was IMP Used?

Early versions of IMP were made for many different computers. These included the English Electric KDF9, ICL System 4, and IBM System/360.

One of the biggest uses for IMP was building the Edinburgh Multiple Access System (EMAS). EMAS was an advanced operating system developed at the University of Edinburgh. IMP was also used to move EMAS to newer computers like the ICL 2900 series.

Later Versions of IMP

Over time, IMP was updated and improved:

• IMP77: A version called IMP77 was created to make the language more portable. This meant it could run on even more computer systems.
• IMP80: Later, IMP and IMP77 were combined into a new standard called IMP80. This version was also moved to many different computers, including modern Intel x86 systems. IMP80 was actively used into the 1990s.

In 2002, the IMP77 language was brought back to life by the Edinburgh Computer History Project. Now, it can run on computers using DOS, Windows, and Linux. Some people who used IMP in the past still use it today!

It's important to know that Edinburgh IMP is different from another language also called IMP. That other language was developed by Edgar T. Irons and used by the National Security Agency (NSA).

See also

• IMP (programming language) (another language with the same name)