Editing UNCOL (section)

==History==
The concept of such a universal intermediate language is old: the 
[[SHARE (computing)|SHARE]] report (1958) already says "[it has] been discussed by many independent persons as long ago as 1954." Macrakis (1993) summarizes its fate:

{{quote|UNCOL was an ambitious effort for the early 1960s. An attempt to solve the compiler-writing problem, it ultimately failed because language and compiler technology were not yet mature.
In the 1970s, [[compiler-compiler]]s ultimately contributed to solving the problem that UNCOL set itself: the economical production of compilers for new languages and new machines.}}

UNCOL is sometimes used as a generic term for the idea of a universal intermediate language. The [[Architecture Neutral Distribution Format]] is an example of an UNCOL in this sense, as are various [[bytecode]] systems such as [[UCSD Pascal]]'s [[p-code machine|p-code]], and most notably [[Java bytecode]].<ref>John English, ''Introduction to Operating Systems: Behind the Desktop'', Palgrave MacMillan 2005, {{isbn|0230374085}}, p. 10</ref>