d. Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. Beginner's All-
purpose Symbolic Instruction Code (BASIC) was developed in 1963 at Dartmouth
University, for use with time-sharing systems. The growth of time-sharing systems has
been accompanied by a growth in the use of BASIC. BASIC is simple to learn, flexible,
and applicable to both science and business. It is the most widely use of the high-level
languages and comes packaged with most microcomputers. The increasing popularity
of microcomputers in home as contributed to the growth of BASIC, since it is the
language most often supported by these microcomputers.
e. Algorithmic Language. Algorithmic Language (ALGOL) was developed in
1957 by an international group of mathematicians for mathematical applications, it is
used extensively in Europe.
f. PASCAL. PASCAL is the only language mentioned here whose name is not
an acronym. Named after the French philosopher and mathematician, Blaise Pascal, it
was developed by Niklaus Wirth, a computer scientist from Switzerland, in the early
1910s. PASCAL is a very structured language, suited to both scientific and business
applications. It is relatively easy to learn like BASIC, powerful like PL/1, and (unlike
PL/1) suited for use on microcomputers. It is a good alternative to BASIC for small
computers.
g. A Programing Language. A programing language (APL) developed by
Kenneth Iverson in 1962, and made available through IBM in 1968 is used primarily for
time-sharing on large mainframe computers. Several businesses use APL as their
programming language. A programing language is well-suited to formula-type problems
because APL codes can be combined to perform some very complex operations with a
minimum of coding. A programing language is oriented to formula-type problems and
competes with FORTRAN in this area.
h. Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Medical Programming System.
Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Medical Programming System (MUMPS) was
developed by Massachusetts General Hospital for the management of general
hospitals, with some segments designed specifically for radiology departments.
Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Medical Programming System is used in
laboratory test reporting, automated patient histories, patient summary reports, critical
patient care planning, medical education, medical examinations, automated medication
systems, physician-generated narrative notes, and for statistical information.
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