1972•NASA STI Repository (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)Open access

A brief description and comparison of programming languages FORTRAN, ALGOL, COBOL, PL/1, and LISP 1.5 from a critical standpoint

Francis P. Mathur

Abstract

Several common higher level program languages are described. FORTRAN, ALGOL, COBOL, PL/1, and LISP 1.5 are summarized and compared. FORTRAN is the most widely used scientific programming language. ALGOL is a more powerful language for scientific programming. COBOL is used for most commercial programming applications. LISP 1.5 is primarily a list-processing language. PL/1 attempts to combine the desirable features of FORTRAN, ALGOL, and COBOL into a single language.

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Key concepts: COBOL, Lisp, Programming language, Computer science, Fortran, Third-generation programming language, Second-generation programming language, Fifth-generation programming language