References: <06-08-082@comp.compilers<06-08-086@comp.compilers<06-08-105@comp.compilers<06-08-138@comp.compilers<06-09-050@comp.compilers<06-09-051@comp.compilers<06-09-057@comp.compilers>
Keywords: history, linker, comment
Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 08:39:56 -0300
From: Tomasz Kowaltowski <tk@ic.unicamp.br>
: IC/UNICAMP
[Relocating loaders go back to the 1940s. They're older than
assemblers. I'm not sure when the first linker, as opposed to loader,
appeared, but I would be surprised if it were as late as
Fortran. -John]
Relocating is already mentioned in von Neumann's writings (1948) where
it is called "preparatory routine"; see:
Herman H. Goldstine e John von Neumann, Planning and Coding of Problems
for an Electronic Computing Instrument, Part II, Vol. III.
-- Tomasz
[The earliest reference I know is Mauchly, "Preparation of Problems to
EDVAC-typy Machines" in 1947, which describes a relocating loader for
library routines. It's in "The of Digital Computers" edited
by Brian Randall. -John]