Plankalkül

Abstract: This chapter sets out the early history of the stored-program concept. The several distinct ‘onion skins’ making up the concept emerged slowly over a ten-year period, giving rise to a number of different programming paradigms. A notation is developed for describing different aspects of the stored-program concept. Theoretical contributions by Turing, Zuse, Eckert, Mauchly, and von Neumann are analysed, followed by a comparative study of the first practical implementations of stored-programming, at the Aberdeen Ballistic Research Laboratory in the US and the University Manchester in the UK. Turing’s concept of universality is also examined, and an assessment is provided of claims that various historic computers—including Babbage’s Analytical Engine, Flowers’ Colossus and Zuse’s Z3—were universal. The chapter begins with a discussion of the work of the great German pioneer of computing, Konrad Zuse.

Abstract: Programming languages have emerged as the powerful tools we use to describe algorithms for execution by computers. Ever since need for such languages was felt half a century ago, numerous languages have been designed and implemented with varying goals and for different application areas. This article reviews the evolution of the imperative high level programming languages and critically examines the factors that influenced different design efforts and direction of programming language design, from Zuse's Plankalkul to the present day object-oriented programming languages.

Abstract: Konrad Zuse verallgemeinerte das 1934 mit seiner Studienarbeit am Beispiel der statisch unbestimmten Analyse entwickelte programmformige Rechenschemata 1936 zum “Verfahren des Rechenplanes oder Programms” (Konrad Zuse). Von 1936 bis 1941 entfaltete er dieses Verfahren in erster Linie fur die Bau- und Flugzeugstatik. Diese numerischen Rechenplane bildeten eine wesentliche Seite der historisch-logischen Entwicklung von Zuses programmgesteuerten Rechenautomaten Z1 (1938) und Z3 (1941). Mit den numerischen Rechenplanen ist auch die erste Stufe der Initialphase der Computerstatik benannt. Ihre zweite Stufe hebt mit Zuses Plankalkul an (1942—1949) — der ersten “Plattform fur Softwareentwicklung” (Peter Jan Pahl ) — in dessen Zentrum sein allgemeines Konzept des Rechnens steht, das Zuse aus dem Kalkul-Begriff der Mathematik entwickelt und das Zahlenrechnen als Sonderfall enthalt. Die beiden Stufen werden im Folgenden eingehend dargestellt und durch eine exemplarische Skizze der um 1950 einsetzenden Konstituierungsphase der Computerstatik abgerundet. Konrad Zuse and the theory of structures — on the formation of computational mechanics (part 2). It was in 1936 that Konrad Zuse generalised the program-type calculation scheme, which he had developed in his student project of 1934 using the example of the statically indeterminate analysis, to form the ”computing plan or program method” (Konrad Zuse). Between 1936 and 1941 he continued to develop this method, in the first place for structural and aviation engineering. These numerical computing plans formed one fundamental element in the historico-logical evolution of Zuse’s program-controlled automatic computers Z1 (1938) and Z3 (1941). The numerical computing plans also mark the first step in the initial phase of computational mechanics. The second step (1942—1949) began with Zuse’s ”Plankalkul” (Calculus of Programs) — the first ”software development platform” (Peter Jan Pahl) —, the heart of which is his general calculation concept, which Zuse developed from the formal system concept of mathematics and which contains numerical computation as a special case. Both of these steps are presented in detail below and rounded off with an illustrative outline of the constitution phase of computational mechanics which began around 1950.