Original Hello World in "B" Programming Language - Computerphile
B, a simplified version of BCPL, was an early programming language that influenced C, but its compiler was lost, leading to a revival effort to run B code on a PDP11 using an emulator.
MAIN POINTS FROM TRANSCRIPT
- B was a simplified version of BCPL, designed for constrained machines like the PDP7.
- The B language had a single data type, the machine word, making it portable.
- B's compiler was short due to memory constraints, generating code for a stack machine.
- The revival effort involved running B on a PDP11 emulator using version 4 Unix.
TAKEAWAYS
- B's influence is seen in C, especially with features like the 'auto' keyword.
- B lacked data types like int or char, using machine words instead.
- The B language's portability stemmed from its interpreted or threaded code.
- The revival project highlights the historical significance and educational value of early programming languages.