SASL (programming language) facts for kids
| Paradigm | functional |
|---|---|
| Designed by | David Turner |
| First appeared | 1972 |
| Influenced by | |
| ISWIM | |
| Influenced | |
| KRC, Miranda, Haskell | |
SASL (which stands for St Andrews Static Language, or sometimes St Andrews Standard Language) was a special computer language. It was created to help computers solve problems in a very organized way. Think of it like giving a computer a set of clear instructions, step by step.
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What is SASL?
SASL is known as a purely functional programming language. This means it works a bit like math functions. When you give it the same input, it will always give you the exact same output. It does not change anything else in the computer's memory. This makes programs very predictable and easier to understand.
Who Created This Language?
A computer scientist named David Turner designed SASL. He created it in 1972 while working at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. His ideas for SASL came from an earlier language called ISWIM.
How SASL Changed Over Time
When SASL was first made, it worked in a "strict" way. This means it would calculate everything right away. In 1976, David Turner changed SASL to be "non-strict" or "lazy." This new version only calculated things when they were actually needed. Imagine you have a long list of chores. A "strict" person would do them all immediately. A "lazy" person would only do a chore when it was absolutely necessary. This "lazy" way can sometimes make programs run faster.
What Languages Did SASL Influence?
The "lazy" version of SASL became very important. It was the foundation for two other programming languages that David Turner created later. These were KRC and Miranda. SASL also helped inspire the design of Haskell, which is a popular functional programming language used today.
Who Used SASL?
The Burroughs Corporation, a big computer company at the time, used SASL. They used it to write important computer programs. These included a compiler, which translates code into a language computers understand, and parts of an operating system. An operating system is the main software that runs a computer.
