 | This article includes alist of references,related reading, orexternal links,but its sources remain unclear because it lacksinline citations. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
FARGO (fourteen-o-one automatic report generation operation) was the predecessor to theRPG programming language. FARGO was more of a utility program than a programming language, whereas RPG had a program generation process that produced executableobject code.
The idea behind FARGO was to facilitate ease of transition forIBM 407 Accounting Machine technicians to the newIBM 1400 series of computers. The 1400 series had two assemblers;Symbolic Programming System (SPS) andAutocoder (a more advanced assembler which required more memory than SPS). These represented a significant paradigm shift and learning curve for the technicians who were accustomed to wiring acontrol panel to direct input, output, control and counter operations (add, subtract). Multiplication and division operations were possible but their practicality was limited.
Tabulator machine operations were directed by impulses emitted in a machine cycle; hence, FARGO emulated the notion of a cycle. FARGO coordinated the concept of coding sheets that closely approximated the principles of wiring control panels of tabulating machines. Early FARGO training material showed the wiring control of panels vs. coding sheet relationships.
Another important feature of FARGO programs is that they did not require compilation. Instead, specification cards were placed into the FARGO program deck at appropriate locations and then simply run with the data cards at the end of the program deck. FARGO was designed for IBM 1401 card systems with at least 4000 positions ofcore storage.
IBM historically placed emphasis on backward compatibility, and FARGO and 1400 Autocoder continued to be used in someIBM System/360 shops by running in "Emulation" mode.COBOL,FORTRAN andRPG languages did not require emulation because System/360 versions were provided.