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ECL programming language
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<p>The ECL programming language and system were an <a href="/facts/Extensible_programming/hDFSJ5Xp">extensible</a> high-level <a href="/facts/Programming_language/cWTYbgWa">programming language</a> and <a href="/facts/Integrated_Development_Environment/jbEINSQf">development environment</a> developed at <a href="/facts/Harvard_University/Lhy9L1cx">Harvard University</a> in the 1970s. The name 'ECL' stood for 'Extensible Computer Language' or 'EClectic Language'. Some publications used the name 'ECL' for the system as a whole and EL/1 (Extensible Language) for the language. </p><p>ECL was an interactive system where programs were represented within the system; there was a compatible <a href="/facts/Compiler/WNfCDFJe">compiler</a> and <a href="/facts/Interpreter_(computing)/JB85fbyb">interpreter</a>. It had an <a href="/facts/ALGOL/wlFJGNEx">ALGOL</a>-like syntax and an extensible <a href="/facts/Data_type/fcx5hgVL">data type</a> system, with data types as <a href="/facts/First-class_citizen/N6tFtEUU">first-class citizens</a>. Data objects were values, not references, and the calling conventions gave a choice between <a href="/facts/Call_by_value/Pc9kLWgs">call by value</a> and <a href="/facts/Call_by_reference/Pc9kLWgs">call by reference</a> for each argument. </p><p>ECL was primarily used for research and teaching in <a href="/facts/Programming_language_design/cWTYbgWa">programming language design</a>, <a href="/facts/Programming_methodology/cIDtuNPN">programming methodology</a> (in particular programming by <a href="/facts/Program_transformations/lfNb25cd">transformational refinement</a>), and <a href="/facts/Integrated_Development_Environment/jbEINSQf">programming environments</a> at Harvard, though it was said to be used at some government agencies as well. It was first implemented on the <a href="/facts/PDP-10/zlfam4wk">PDP-10</a>, with a later (interpreted-only) implementation on the <a href="/facts/PDP-11/9HkGUzFn">PDP-11</a> written in <a href="/facts/BLISS/xm2Msp6c">BLISS</a>-11 and cross-compiled on the PDP-10. </p>