Editing ABC (programming language) (section)

{{Short description|Programming language}}
{{Infobox programming language
|name = ABC
|logo =
|paradigms = [[Multi-paradigm programming language|multi-paradigm]]: [[Imperative programming|imperative]], [[Procedural programming|procedural]], [[Structured programming|structured]]
|designers = Leo Geurts, [[Lambert Meertens]], [[Steven Pemberton]]
|developer = [[Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica]] (CWI)
|released = {{Start date and age|1987|01}}
|latest release version = 1.05.02
|latest release date = {{Start date and age|1990}}<!-- If known, add |mm|dd -->
|typing = [[Strong and weak typing|strong]], [[Polymorphism (computer science)|polymorphic]]
|implementations =
| operating system = [[Unix-like]], [[Windows]], [[MacOS]], and [[Atari TOS]]
|dialects =
|influenced by = [[SETL]], [[ALGOL 68]]<ref>{{cite book |page=32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?q=He-was-clearly-influenced-by-ALGOL-68 |access-date=December 14, 2009 |last1=Biancuzzi |first1=Federico |last2=Warden |first2=Shane |title=Masterminds of Programming: Conversations with the Creators of Major Programming Languages |publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]] |date=April 2009 |isbn=978-0-596-51517-1 |quote=He [Lambert Meertens] was clearly influenced by [[ALGOL 68]]'s philosophy of providing constructs that can be combined in many different ways to produce all sorts of different data structures or ways of structuring a program. – [[Guido van Rossum]]}}</ref>
|influenced = [[Python (programming language)|Python]]
}}

'''ABC''' is an [[Imperative programming|imperative]] general-purpose [[programming language]] and [[integrated development environment]] (IDE) developed at [[Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica]] (CWI), in  [[Amsterdam]], [[Netherlands]] by Leo Geurts, [[Lambert Meertens]], and [[Steven Pemberton]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=An Alternative Simple Language and Environment for PCs |first1=Steven |last1=Pemberton |author1-link=Steven Pemberton |date=January 1987 |journal=IEEE Software |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=56–64 |doi=10.1109/MS.1987.229797|s2cid=12788361 }}</ref> It is interactive, structured, [[High-level programming language|high-level]], and intended to be used instead of [[BASIC]], [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal]], or [[AWK]]. It is intended for teaching or prototyping, but not as a systems-programming language.

ABC had a major influence on the design of the language [[Python (programming language)|Python]], developed by [[Guido van Rossum]], who formerly worked for several years on the ABC system in the mid-1980s.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hamilton |first=Naomi |date=2008-05-08 |url=http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;66665771 |title=The A-Z of Programming Languages: Python |magazine=Computerworld |publisher=IDG Communications |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229095320/http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id%3B66665771 |archive-date=2008-12-29 |quote=... I figured I could design and implement a language 'almost, but not quite, entirely unlike' ABC, improving upon ABC's deficiencies, ... |access-date=2020-09-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Stewart |first=Bruce |date=2002-06-04 |url=http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/python/2002/06/04/guido.html |title=An Interview with Guido van Rossum |website=ONLamp.com |publisher=O’Reilly Media |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313095540/http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/python/2002/06/04/guido.html |archive-date=2013-03-13 |quote=... in my head I had analyzed some of the reasons it had failed. |access-date=2020-09-04}}</ref>