ml
from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
ML
1. <robotics> Manipulator Language. IBM language for handling
robots.
2. Meta Language. R. Milner <[email protected]> et al,
1973. A {strict} {higher-order} {functional language}. It
was the first language to include {polymorphic} typing which
was statically-checked. It also had {garbage collection} and
a formal {semantics}.
It began as the {metalanguage} for the Edinburgh {LCF} proof
assistant. (LCF="Logic for Computable Functions") People soon
noticed that ML could be a useful general programming language
and stand-alone versions were implemented. {Standard ML}
(SML) is a descendant of these (and related languages such as
{Hope}).
The "metalanguage" aspect has long since disappeared from the
language itself (although there are some systems that still
use it that way). The historical name is now so inappropriate
that asking what ML stands for is like asking what {C} or
{Unix} stands for. It doesn't stand for anything; it just is.
LCF ML was implemented in {Stanford LISP}. Cardelli (1981)
implemented ML in {Pascal} using the {Functional Abstract
Machine} (FAM). It has been significantly redesigned to
produce {Standard ML} and {Lazy ML}.
["A Metalanguage for Interactive Proof in LCF", M.J.C. Gordon
et al, 5th POPL, ACM 1978].
(2006-07-21)
[email protected]