A sharp

A# (A sharp) is a separable component of Version 2 of the AXIOM* computer algebra system. It provides a programming language with an optimising compiler, an intermediate code interpreter, and a library of data structures and mathematical abstractions. The compiler produces optionally stand-alone executable programs, object libraries in native operating system formats, portable bytecode libraries, C or Lisp source code.

The A# programming language has support for object-oriented and functional programming styles. Both types and functions are first class values that can be manipulated with a range of flexible and composable primitives and user programs. The A# language design places particular emphasis on compilation for efficient machine code and portability.

Ports have been made to various 16, 32, and 64 bit architectures: RS/6000, SPARC, DEC Alpha, IA-32, Intel 286, Motorola 680x0, System/370; several operating systems: Linux, AIX, SunOS, HP/UX, NeXT, Mach and other Unix systems, OS/2, DOS, Microsoft Windows, VMS and VM/CMS; C compilers: Xlc, gcc, Sun, Borland, Metaware and MIPS C.

See also: Programming language

This article (or an earlier version of it) contains material from FOLDOC, used with permission.