The Heap

Summary: This document is the September 1983 inaugural paid subscription issue of "The Heap," the newsletter for the Languages and Tools Special Interest Group (LTSIG) of the Digital Equipment Computer Users Society (DECUS).

Key contents include:

• Editor's Report: An introduction to the new paid subscription model, calls for user-submitted articles in standard formats, and an overview of the LTSIG steering committee's roles.
• Bits and Pieces: Updates on Modula-2, upcoming DECUS symposiums, and information regarding ANSI X3 programming language study groups.
• Organizational Overviews: Descriptions of roles within the LTSIG, including the Chair, Operating System Coordinator, Menu Coordinator, Symposia Coordinator, and a newly created Productivity Tools Coordinator role.
• Conference Report: A summary of the 1983 "Softfair" conference on software development tools, techniques, and environments.
• Technical Articles and Presentations: Reports on software development environment planning (including a case study from Lear Siegler/Instrument Division), an overview of VAX language environment standards, and technical tutorials on the ADA Language System, PDP-11 PASCAL, VAX-11 PASCAL I/O, and the use of resident libraries.
• Artificial Intelligence: A section dedicated to the initiatives of the Digital Equipment Corporation's Artificial Intelligence Technology Center, including LISP and OPS5 developments.