From a66074843d89ac64916f7cc97b6f8fde268f4402 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Lars Brinkhoff Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2023 11:17:00 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] A list of major ITS attractions. --- doc/attactions.md | 50 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 50 insertions(+) create mode 100644 doc/attactions.md diff --git a/doc/attactions.md b/doc/attactions.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..b3df567e --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/attactions.md @@ -0,0 +1,50 @@ +# ITS Attractions + +**Maclisp** — historical Lisp for ITS and Multics, and the base +for a family of dialects that consolidated as the Common Lisp standard. +It was used to bootstrap **Scheme**. + +**SHRDLU** — infamous natural language input and block stacking +robot simulation, written in Maclisp. + +**Lisp machines** — were bootstrapped from ITS and Maclisp. + +**C compiler** — written by Alan Snyder; possibly the first +created outside Bell Labs. + +**Macsyma** — symbolic manipulation program that was written in +Maclisp and made available to researchers on the Arpanet. Macsyma was +so important a dedicated PDP-10 was purchased for it, not just once, +but twice. + +**Emacs** — was developed on ITS as a set of **TECO** macros. + +**The Magic Switch** — a piece of hacker lore chronicled in Guy +Steele's book *Hacker's Dictionary*. The book comes from the +**JARGON** file. + +**Logo** — educational programming language began at BBN but +greatly enhanced at MIT. ITS hosts many versions for the PDP-10, +PDP-11, Apple II, etc. A **Small ITS** timesharing system was written +to run Logo on a PDP-11/45. Marvin Minsky designed the **2500**, a +dual text and vector display minicomputer for running Logo. + +**CLU** — a programming language by Barbara Liskov that +introduced abstract data types way ahead of its times. The CLU group +developed the first version of the X Window System. + +**Zork** — was written in **MDL**/**Muddle**, the major +programming language on the Dynamic Modeling PDP-10. Zork was +inspired by (**Colossal Cave**) **Advent**ure, which is also available +on ITS. Together, the two games were instrumental in kicking off text +adventure games and interactive fiction. + +**Maze** — 3D game, and possibly the first first-person shooter. + +**MacHack VI** — Greenblatt's chess program was the first +computer program to play chess in human tournament competitions and be +granted a chess rating. + +**Spacewar** — one of the first video games. First developed on +a PDP-1 at MIT. ITS has a much updated PDP-6 version, and consoles +made by **HAKMEM** author Mike Beeler.