September 29, 1980To: Praxis AxisFrom: J R Greenwoodr/Subject: Praxis status report - "back on track"6Compiler contract status--------------------------< After a month of serious negotiation, the Praxis compilerJimplementation effort is back on track. We have signed an add-on contractMwhich covers the completion of the compilers, documentation, and I/O package.HAs of September 28, 1980 all ( 4 + ) the BBN people are back working onHPraxis. For the past month we were down to only a 2 person effort while#contractual issues were worked out.aA The following table summarizes major delivery dates which I ams very optimistic about being met.Deliverable Datet;Draft of BBN's Language Reference Manual ( LRM ) Oct 20, 80o)Review of draft LRM complete Nov 3, 80 3Language completion ( Vax and PDP-11 ) Nov 17, 80 %I/O package completion Nov 17, 80 )Compiler Internals document Nov 17, 80i#I/O document complete Dec 1, 80B5Optimization complete ( Vax and PDP-11 ) Dec 29, 80MReboot to PDP-11 Dec 29, 80GWe will get compiler updates delivered to LLNL every two weeks from nowtGthrough the end of the year. From a users point of view the Nov 17, 80kBdate is important. All aspects of the language will be final and implemented by that date.t Documentation5 -------------F The documentation for the language is proceeding with the releaseGlast week of the final UCRL-52957 "An introduction to Praxis" and firstmDrelease of our language manual "Programming in Praxis" ( 200 pages).DThe latter will be updated further to fill out areas which need moreIelaboration. Comments are welcome. Contact Marliss Rash or me for copieszof the documents.tSupport-------I@ During the summer Bill Nowicki spent all his time supportingDthe Praxis development and augmenting the documentation effort. ThisIlocal LLNL support in addition to me was invaluable. He has now returned9Nto gaduate studies at Stanford and will be sorely missed. We need desparatelyHto identify another person to fill this Praxis support role at least forthe next 6 to 12 monthes.l ReportingO ---------C To report bugs, errors, gripes, or even compliments about PraxistBplease send a VAX Mail message to "Praxis" on the Nova development@VAX. This will allow me to track and respond to each with some Aconsistency. Please make the subject reasonably descriptive so aiFdirectory of the mail gives me some information. ( That is: "Ahhhhh" won't do. )aFuturesr-------rF I am in the planning stages for further Praxis related developmentHprojects. In particular, I am looking into the Praxis Symbolic DebuggerHas an excellent tool which would greatly speed the development of PraxisGprograms. In addition I am looking into Configuration Management toolsoDwhich utilize features that are built into the Praxis language. ForDinstance, Praxis synopsis scanning and plotting tools would greatlyBease the documentation and maintenance of Praxis programs. These Fprojects could begin in January 1981 and produce first usable productsCin the summer of 1981. The current team at BBN is an excellent one ;which really would like to work on these types of projects.7D Also the use of Praxis for Data Management and Analysis tasks isGbeing investigated. In particular extending the I/O package to includeKCdata base operations is planned, and augmenting the language in thehFarray processing areas is certainingly feasible. New code generationEschemes for vector processors or external array processors is another5area that could use some study.c ------------------i James R Greenwood Distribution:tControls GroupDMAGH Ahlstrom/L Coleman J Holzrichter2R Godwin W SimmonsL R OzarskiAJ Emmett D Gritton6P RupertR Careye R A SaroyanbL Lewiso D Kroepflt