SYMPL was a programming language developed by the Control Data Corporation for use on the CDC 6000 series computer systems in the 1970s and 1980s. It was based on a subset of CDCs version of JOVIAL, as an alternative to assembly language. A number of important CDC software products were implemented in SYMPL, including compilers, libraries, a full-screen editor, and major subsystems.

SYMPL was a compiled, imperative, and procedural language. Compared to Fortran of the day, SYMPL supported:

• Stronger data typing - All variables must be declared prior to use,
• Data structures - Including "based" dynamically allocated structures,
• Structured programming constructs,
• Nested procedures,
• In-fix "bead" (bit) and character manipulation
• A simple macro facility

Simplifications compared to JOVIAL included: fewer built-in data types, no recursive calls to procedures, and no COMPOOL concept.

External links

• Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer program - written in SYMPL