Add history

1 files changed, 73 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/history.rst b/history.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..853b8d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/history.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+History
+-------
+
+In 1974 the research group *Programmiersprachen und Compiler II* at TU Berlin
+led by C.H.A Koster and Hochschulrechenzentrum (HRZ) Bielefeld developed
+different versions of *SLAN*, a programming language family suited for
+educational purposes. This language was later renamed to *ELAN*.
+
+Jochen Liedtke and Ulrich Bartling, both studying maths at Bielefeld University
+at that time, created a compiler for SLAN3B as part of their diploma thesis in
+1976 [liedtke76]_\ [bartling76]_. It was written in CDL, a machine independent
+compiler description language, and generated code for Siemens’ BS 1000 and
+BS 2000 mainframe operating system running on a BS 4004/45 machine. It was
+later ported to the IBM 370 and TR 440 [hahn79]_.
+
+But ELAN was supposed to be used in schools or at universities and most of them
+could not affort the cost of such a machine. Thus a compiler and runtime system
+for the smaller and less expensive microprocessors was needed [liedtke79]_.
+Development of this system began in 1977 or 1978\ [#]_. It ran on the Zilog Z80
+microprocessor with 64 kilobytes of RAM. This machine’s cost were approximately
+20,000 DM (10,000 USD). The runtime system was called *Extendable multi user
+microprocessor ELAN system*, abbreviated *EUMEL*.
+
+A year later, in 1979, details about EUMEL were published in GMD Spiegel
+[liedtke79]_, a quarterly publication published by GMD, and then presented at
+*9. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Informatik* at University of Bonn
+[kloeckner79]_. Officially the cooperation between HRZ Bielefeld and GMD began
+in fall 1979 [gmdspiegel85d]_.
+
+.. [#] See [gmdspiegel85a]_, [liedtke93]_, [gmdbericht84]_, [ambros90b]_ and [praxis1]_
+
+Releases
+^^^^^^^^
+
+The following table lists release dates. It was reconstructed from multiple
+sources.
+
+.. csv-table::
+   :header: Version,Date,
+
+    1.5, ≤1981
+    1.6, ≤fall 1982, [alwr82]_
+    1.7, ≤mid 1984, [korrekturen84]_
+    1.7.5, end of 1985, [gmdbericht85]_
+    1.8.0, October 1986
+    1.8.7, ≤1990, [ambros90b]_
+
+.. figure:: releases.svg
+
+L3
+^^
+
+Ideas for EUMEL’s successor „version 2.0“ were first presented by Liedtke in
+1985 [gmdspiegel85c]_.  Since fall 1986 EUMEL „native code“ was in development
+[gmdbericht86a]_.  This would later become the *Level 3 Operating System (L3)*,
+which was presented in 1988. It dropped the EUMEL0 virtual machine in favor of
+native x86 code since Intel’s 386 processor provided all the features necessary
+[gmdspiegel88a]_. In the same year, on 1988-06-30, a workshop with 63
+attendants was held at GMD Birlinghofen  [gmdspiegel88c]_
+
+Workshops
+^^^^^^^^^
+
+Between 1985 and 1988 a yearly workshop was held at different locations:
+
+.. csv-table::
+    :header: Date,Location,Attendance,
+
+    1985-09-21,GMD Birlinghofen,300,[gmdspiegel85c]_
+    1986-10-04,GMD Birlinghofen,350,[gmdbericht86b]_
+    1987-09-19/21,GMD Sankt Augustin,200/100,[gmdspiegel87b]_
+    1988-10-01,Realschule Niederpleis,200,[gmdspiegel88d]_
+