An extension to ALGOL for manipulating formulae

pretation." The speaker readily admitted that full interpretation may lose time, and agreed that a good deal of partial compilation could be done. The only reason it had not been done was a desire to keep the system as flexible as possible in the course of development. Once again the question was raised as to what time was lost and whose time was lost. If a complicated system saving machine time loses the time of inventive occasional computers, then no obvious gain results. Questions of economics of the proposed systems seemed to depend sensitively upon questions concerning the psychology of the potential user. It was suggested by the chairman that the audience in attendance consisted mainly of self-appointed expert psychologists and hence might not be objectively competent to answer these questions.