Editing Action! (programming language) (section)

==History==
===Micro-SPL===
While taking his postgraduate studies, Parker started working part-time at [[Xerox PARC]] working on [[printer driver]]s. He later moved to the [[Xerox Alto]] project where he wrote several games for the system.{{sfn|Parker|2015|loc=6:00}} His PhD was in [[natural language]] parsing and he had worked on compiler theory during his graduate work.{{sfn|Parker|2015|loc=6:30}}

[[Henry Baker (computer scientist)|Henry Baker]] and Parker released Micro-SPL in September 1979. Micro-SPL was intended to be used as a [[systems programming language]] on the [[Xerox Alto]] [[workstation computer]], which was normally programmed in [[BCPL]]. The Alto used a [[microcode]] system which the BCPL compiler output. Micro-SPL output the same format, allowing BCPL programs to call Micro-SPL programs.{{sfn|Baker|Parker|1979|p=1}}

Aside from differences in syntax, the main difference between Micro-SPL and BCPL, and the reason for its existence, was that Micro-SPL produced code that was many times faster than the native BCPL compiler. In general, Micro-SPL programs were expected to run about ten times as fast as BCPL, and about half as fast as good hand-written microcode. In comparison to microcode, they claimed it would take half as long to write and 10% of the time to debug it.{{sfn|Baker|Parker|1979|p=1}}

===Action!===
It was during this period that Parker purchased an Atari computer for use at home. He was disappointed with the lack of development systems for it, which was the impetus for creating Action!{{sfn|Parker|2015|loc=7:00}} Parker considered releasing the system himself, but decided to partner with [[Optimized Systems Software]] (OSS) for sales and distribution. OSS focused on utilities and programming languages like [[BASIC XL]], so this was a natural fit for Action!{{sfn|Parker|2015|loc=28:00}} Sales were strong enough for Parker to make a living off the royalties for several years.{{sfn|Parker|2015|loc=20:00}}

The [[IBM PC]] had [[C programming language|C]] compilers available, and Parker decided there was no point in porting Action! to that platform.{{sfn|Parker|2015|loc=21:30}} As the sales of the Atari 8-bit computers  wound down in North America, OSS wound down as well. Late in its history Action! distribution moved from OSS to [[Electronic Arts]], but they did little with the language and sales ended shortly after.{{sfn|Parker|2015|loc=2:45}} In a 2015 interview, Parker expressed his surprise in the level of interest in the language continued to receive, suggesting it was greater than it had been in the late 1980s.{{sfn|Parker|2015|loc=1:00}}