Headed by Jules Schwartz, a team at System Development Corporation designed JOVIAL in 1959.
JOVIAL was an acronym for Jules' Own Version of the International Algorithmic Language, which was a reference to ALGOL58.
The original purpose of the language was to produce software for the electronics of military aircraft. During the 1960s, JOVIAL was part of the US military's L-Project series. Ninety-five percent of its SACCS project was written in JOVIAL. During the 1970s and 1980s, the US Air Force adopted a standardized CPU, the MIL-STD-1750A, and additional JOVIAL programs were produced for that processor.
Several commercial vendors, including Advanced Computer Techniques, Proprietary Software Systems, and TLD Systems, provided compilers, and other tools for the language. JOVIAL was standardized in 1973 and revised in 1984. It is still used to update and maintain software on older military vehicles and aircraft but, as of 2010, JOVIAL is no longer maintained and distributed by the USAF JOVIAL Program Office (JPO).
There are three dialects in use: J3, J3B-2, and J73. Software that was previously distributed by the JPO is still available through Software Engineering Associates (SEA), which continues to develop JOVIAL. Combinations of other JOVIAL processors are available from other companies, including DDC-I, which acquired parts of Advanced Computer Techniques, and still lists JOVIAL compilers and various tools for the language.
Most software produced by JOVIAL is essential to the business operation for which it was used, and maintenance of the software is becoming difficult. Due to the age of the language, conversion of JOVIAL code to other platforms is becoming increasingly common. Software Engineering Associates provides rehosting and retargeting services, while Semantic Designs converts JOVIAL code into other languages.
JOVIAL was influenced by ALGOL and SAGE. JOVIAL includes features not available in standard ALGOL, such as records, arrays of records, and inline assembly language.
Languages influenced by JOVIAL include CORAL, SPL, SYMPL, and CMS-2. A subset of JOVIAL, called TINT, was developed in the 1960s.
The focus of this category is on the JOVIAL programming language. Topics related to the language, or any of its dialects or implementations, are appropriate for this category, along with any compilers, editors, or other tools designed to facilitate JOVIAL programming. Tutorials, guides, user groups, or forums on the language may also be listed here.
Recommended Resources
The personal home page of Bill Foote includes several topics, personal and professional, but he was a JOVIAL programmer and both of his parents, Ed and Kay Foote, were JOVIAL programmers as well, so his site features a great deal of information on the language, including biographies of his parents. Most significantly, the site includes the story of the development of JOVIAL as presented by Jules I. Schwartz, the language’s designer, in PDF format.
http://jovial.com/
Computer Programming Manual for the Jovial (J73) Language
Presented by the Defense Technical Information Center, the site presents, in PDF format, a combined tutorial and reference manual for the JOVIAL (J73) language as defined in MIL-STD-1589A, dated March 15, 1989. The main body of the manual describes the language, including the reasons for its use and examples for each feature. Intended for someone who has experience with assembly language, it does not teach the fundamentals of programming.
https://apps.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA101061
Sandin Family: JOVIAL Programming Language
In 1963, a member of the Sandin family joined System Development Corporation as a computer programmer trainee, receiving thirteen weeks of training before being assigned to maintain a JOVIAL compiler. He posts a digital copy of a brochure on JOVIAL from November 1960. On another page, linked from this one, he discusses his employment with SDC, including photographs, as well as his assignments with ARPA, and subsequent employment with Abacus Programming Corporation.
https://sandinfamily.com/ponograms/115-jovial-programming-language.htm
Software Engineering Associates
Founded in 1977, SEA has long supported the US Air Force and Department of Defense in the development and maintenance of its operational systems, particularly in its development, maintenance, and enhancement of the JOVIAL programming language, as well as in porting legacy JOVIAL programs to new development platforms. Its compilers and other development tools are highlighted, along with its customer support systems and web development services.
http://www.seadeo.com/
Hosted on SourceForge, Jovial Notepad is a lightweight Notepad replacement with a variety of useful features, such as a single .exe file, a small footprint, encrypting and decrypting of content, copy and paste images directly, color and font on individual words, saving as normal plain text, context-sensitive quick color highlight on selected words, customizable menu of symbols, and language customization for menu. Project samples, usage notes, and free downloads are available.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/jovialnotepad/
