PACT (compiler)

PACT was a series of compilers for the IBM 701 and IBM 704 scientific computers. Their development was conducted jointly by IBM and a committee of customers starting in 1954. PACT I was developed for the 701, and PACT IA for the 704. The emphasis in that early generation of compilers was minimization of the memory footprint, because memory was a very expensive resource at the time.{{cite journal | first = F. E. | last = Allen | citeseerx = 10.1.1.84.5616 | title = The history of language processor technology in IBM | journal = IBM Journal of Research and Development | volume = 25 | issue = 5 |date=September 1981 | page = 537 | doi=10.1147/rd.255.0535}} The word "compiler" was not in widespread use at the time, so most of the 1956 papers described it as an "(automatic) coding system",{{cite journal |last=Melahn |first=Wesley S. |year=1956 |title=A Description of a Cooperative Venture in the Production of an Automatic Coding System |journal=J. ACM |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=266–271 |doi=10.1145/320843.320844}}{{cite journal |last=Baker |first=Charles L. |year=1956 |title=The PACT I Coding System for the IBM Type 701 |journal=J. ACM |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=272–278 |doi=10.1145/320843.320845 |doi-access=free}} although the word compiler was also used in some papers.{{cite journal |last=Mock |first=Owen R. |year=1956 |title=Logical Organization of the PACT I Compiler |journal=J. ACM |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=279–287 |doi=10.1145/320843.320846|doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Miller, Jr. |first1=Robert C. |last2=Oldfield |first2=Bruce |year=1956 |title=Producing Computer Instructions for the PACT I Compiler |journal=J. ACM |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=288–291 |doi=10.1145/320843.320847 |doi-access=free}}