In the late sixties, the definition of ALGOL 68 I 11 , for a long time called
ALGOL X, reached some stability. It is at that period (1967) our team started the
project of writing a compiler for that language. We had two goals in mind :
to make significant research in the field of compiler methodology,
to point out the special difficulties encountered in the design of the compiler
and thus possibly influence the definition of the language.
This book is concerned with the first goal only ; ALGOL 68 should be considered
a support to explain and develop compiling principles and techniques.
The whole book is directly based on the actual compiler we have written for the
Electrologica-X8 computer ; this compiler has been operational since early 1973o
Since May 1975, it is available on the "BS-com~uter", the Philips prototype developed
by MBLE and which is at the origin of the UNIDATA 7720. In fact, the X8 has be~n
microprogra~ed on the BS ; it is worthwhile to mention that microprogramming
did not introduce any significant loss in efficiency.