BLISS-36

This document serves as a user's guide for the BLISS-36 compiler, which operates on TOPS-10 and TOPS-20 systems. It provides comprehensive information for BLISS-36 (Version 4.0) programmers, covering basic operating procedures, advanced programming topics, and reference material.

The guide details how to compile BLISS programs, including command-line syntax, file specifications, and various switches to control output, debugging, optimization, listing, and environment settings. It also covers the processes of linking, executing, and debugging BLISS programs, including the use of the SIX12 debugger.

Advanced sections explore BLISS-36's machine-specific functions (e.g., logical, byte manipulation, arithmetic, system interfaces), offer programming considerations to avoid common errors (e.g., missing dots, valued routines, macro usage), and provide guidelines for writing transportable BLISS programs across different architectures (PDP-10, PDP-11, VAX-11) through isolation and parameterization.

Furthermore, the document outlines the BLISS compiler's internal structure and optimization phases, and describes programming tools like XPORT (for data structures, I/O, memory management, string handling), BCREF (for master cross-referencing), and CVTIO (for BLISS-10 to BLISS-36 conversion). Practical coding examples are included, and appendices offer summaries of command syntax, formatting rules, implementation limits, and a list of compiler error messages.