Episode 175 - SNOBOL? That's Disgusting!
From Advent of Computing by Sean Haas
January 28, 2026 · 1h 6m · Episode 175
About this episode
This episode explores the unique programming language SNOBOL and its historical significance in computing.
Today we are talking about one of the most unique languages I've ever come across. SNOBOL emerges from the early days of programming. It's first compiler is implemented on the back of an envelope. It only has one data type, and only one format for every line of code. It's the bane of Chester, and center of an office drama! What's not to love? Selected sources: https://dl.acm.org/doi/epdf/10.1145/960118.808393 - Griswold's history of SNOBOL https://dl.acm.org/doi/epdf/10.1145/321203.321207 - THE SNOBOL1 Paper
People in this episode
Host: Sean Haas
Topics covered
- programming languages
- history of computing
- SNOBOL
- early programming
- office drama
Keywords
- SNOBOL
- programming
- history
- computing
- language
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: SNOBOL
Books & works: Griswold's history of SNOBOL, THE SNOBOL1 Paper
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