Question

Which is the first compiler-level language developed by a team of IBM programmers led by John Backus and unveiled in $1957$?

• A. PL$/1$
• B. None of the above
• C. FORTRAN
• D. APL
• E. BASIC

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

FORTRAN is the first compiler-level language developed by a team of IBM programmers led by John Backus and unveiled in 1957

A draft specification for The IBM Mathematical Formula Translating System was completed by mid-1954. The first manual for FORTRAN appeared in October 1956, with the first FORTRAN compiler delivered in April 1957. This was the first optimizing compiler, because customers were reluctant to use a high-level programming language unless its compiler could generate code with performance comparable to that of hand-coded assembly language.