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Kenneth Dakin
Kenneth Dakin
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In the mainframe world (which of course pre-dates the Apple and IBM PC world by decades), there were several on-line editors that were capable of editing source code in several languages - such as COBOL, Assembler and PL/1 as well as "job control language" (JCL).

Some of these editors had features for allowing the display of compiler output on a 3270 visual display. For the OS/VS1 and MVS Operating systems there was ICCF (that ran under CICS) and ISPF.

For full screen interactive debugging there was OLIVER (for CICS applications) and SIMON (for Batch) for DOS/VSE, OS/VS1 and MVS, MVS/XA operating systems. Both OLIVER and SIMON had an ISPF-like interface (for both Operating Systems, including DOS/VSE which didn't have its own native ISPF).Both OLIVER and SIMON allowed in flight changes to data fields and statement "bypassing" on-the-fly, which permitted a limited form of program change.OLIVER also provided automatic memory protection ensuring task isolation and it intercepted all program checks before they even occurred.

It was possible to switch easily between ICCF/ISPF source editing and debugging modes - simply by pressing a Program function key - so it provided a seamless interface that would be recognized as an IDE today. This was from the early 1970's.

If there had been graphic displays freely available in the early 1970's these products would surely have used them to their fullest extent - so it was hardware that was the limiting factor at that time. As it was, colour and foreground/background highlighting were the only ways of identifying important items on screen.

A further point - A comprehensive on-line interactive Spreadsheet application known as The Works Records System was created as early as 1974 using the OLIVER debugging tool. This was at ICI UK - six years before Visicalc for the Apple II.

In the mainframe world (which of course pre-dates the Apple and IBM PC world by decades), there were several on-line editors that were capable of editing source code in several languages - such as COBOL, Assembler and PL/1 as well as "job control language" (JCL).

Some of these editors had features for allowing the display of compiler output on a 3270 visual display. For the OS/VS1 and MVS Operating systems there was ICCF (that ran under CICS) and ISPF.

For full screen interactive debugging there was OLIVER (for CICS applications) and SIMON (for Batch) for DOS/VSE, OS/VS1 and MVS, MVS/XA operating systems. Both OLIVER and SIMON had an ISPF-like interface (for both Operating Systems, including DOS/VSE which didn't have its own native ISPF).Both OLIVER and SIMON allowed in flight changes to data fields and statement "bypassing" on-the-fly, which permitted a limited form of program change.

It was possible to switch easily between ICCF/ISPF source editing and debugging modes - simply by pressing a Program function key - so it provided a seamless interface that would be recognized as an IDE today. This was from the early 1970's.

If there had been graphic displays freely available in the early 1970's these products would surely have used them to their fullest extent - so it was hardware that was the limiting factor at that time. As it was, colour and foreground/background highlighting were the only ways of identifying important items on screen.

A further point - A comprehensive on-line interactive Spreadsheet application known as The Works Records System was created as early as 1974 using the OLIVER debugging tool. This was at ICI UK - six years before Visicalc for the Apple II.

In the mainframe world (which of course pre-dates the Apple and IBM PC world by decades), there were several on-line editors that were capable of editing source code in several languages - such as COBOL, Assembler and PL/1 as well as "job control language" (JCL).

Some of these editors had features for allowing the display of compiler output on a 3270 visual display. For the OS/VS1 and MVS Operating systems there was ICCF (that ran under CICS) and ISPF.

For full screen interactive debugging there was OLIVER (for CICS applications) and SIMON (for Batch) for DOS/VSE, OS/VS1 and MVS, MVS/XA operating systems. Both OLIVER and SIMON had an ISPF-like interface (for both Operating Systems, including DOS/VSE which didn't have its own native ISPF).Both OLIVER and SIMON allowed in flight changes to data fields and statement "bypassing" on-the-fly, which permitted a limited form of program change.OLIVER also provided automatic memory protection ensuring task isolation and it intercepted all program checks before they even occurred.

It was possible to switch easily between ICCF/ISPF source editing and debugging modes - simply by pressing a Program function key - so it provided a seamless interface that would be recognized as an IDE today. This was from the early 1970's.

If there had been graphic displays freely available in the early 1970's these products would surely have used them to their fullest extent - so it was hardware that was the limiting factor at that time. As it was, colour and foreground/background highlighting were the only ways of identifying important items on screen.

A further point - A comprehensive on-line interactive Spreadsheet application known as The Works Records System was created as early as 1974 using the OLIVER debugging tool. This was at ICI UK - six years before Visicalc for the Apple II.

Source Link
Kenneth Dakin
Kenneth Dakin
  • 31
  • 4

In the mainframe world (which of course pre-dates the Apple and IBM PC world by decades), there were several on-line editors that were capable of editing source code in several languages - such as COBOL, Assembler and PL/1 as well as "job control language" (JCL).

Some of these editors had features for allowing the display of compiler output on a 3270 visual display. For the OS/VS1 and MVS Operating systems there was ICCF (that ran under CICS) and ISPF.

For full screen interactive debugging there was OLIVER (for CICS applications) and SIMON (for Batch) for DOS/VSE, OS/VS1 and MVS, MVS/XA operating systems. Both OLIVER and SIMON had an ISPF-like interface (for both Operating Systems, including DOS/VSE which didn't have its own native ISPF).Both OLIVER and SIMON allowed in flight changes to data fields and statement "bypassing" on-the-fly, which permitted a limited form of program change.

It was possible to switch easily between ICCF/ISPF source editing and debugging modes - simply by pressing a Program function key - so it provided a seamless interface that would be recognized as an IDE today. This was from the early 1970's.

If there had been graphic displays freely available in the early 1970's these products would surely have used them to their fullest extent - so it was hardware that was the limiting factor at that time. As it was, colour and foreground/background highlighting were the only ways of identifying important items on screen.

A further point - A comprehensive on-line interactive Spreadsheet application known as The Works Records System was created as early as 1974 using the OLIVER debugging tool. This was at ICI UK - six years before Visicalc for the Apple II.