Bringing back a dead language (PILOT)

PILOT-III is a new implementation of a language that (in 2002) is over 40 years old.

PILOT is a programming language for interactive programs, i.e., for those programs in which the user participates in a kind of conversation with the computer by typing responses to questions posed by the Computer. PILOT stands for Programmed Inquiry, Learning or Teaching, and has been used most commonly as a language for computer-assisted instruction. It was first developed by John A. Starkweather at the University of California in San Francisco and has been implemented on a variety of large and small computers.

PILOT is related to a group of computer languages known as “author languages”. Author languages were devised to simplify the task of a subject-matter specialist, that is, provide easy entry to the computer. They are higher-level languages, since a specific word in an author language triggers an extensive set of instructions to be executed by the computer. Unfortunately, most author languages are usually very limited in their control capabilities or just as difficult to master as regular programming languages.

Pilot is an effort to answer these problems. Its simplicity is well established, since grade school children have written programs in PILOT, and adult authors can learn basic requirements in a few minutes. These fundamentals can produce working programs, and an author has more flexible features available as he requires them. Particularly notable is PILOT’s ability to simulate interviewing and other kinds of free conversation.

Since PILOT is designed for conversational communication, emphasis has been placed on textual display and response recognition features. PILOT-III adds additional capabilities in its ability to also manipulate multi-media information.


The Full article can be found at :: http://pilot.sourceforge.net

This Article was written by Bill Turner (I claim nothing)

FYI - Bill Turner is a friend of mine. He runs Explorer Post 277 a Computer orientated youth program...