# Icon

> programming language

**Wikidata**: [Q1156474](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1156474)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icon_(programming_language))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/icon

## Summary
Icon is a multi-paradigm programming language designed for computer programming, created by Ralph Griswold in 1977, with a stable version history dating back to 2013 and ongoing updates through 2023.

## Key Facts
- Icon is a programming language first created in 1977 by Ralph Griswold.
- It is a multi-paradigm language supporting structured, procedural, and expression-oriented programming.
- The stable version 9.5.1 was released on June 6, 2013, with subsequent updates through 2023 (e.g., 9.5.23a in 2023-08-19).
- It follows dynamic typing and uses Icon source code files for both reading and writing.
- Influenced by the SNOBOL programming language and ALGOL, it is hosted on GitHub under https://github.com/gtownsend/icon.

### FAQs
### Q: What is Icon?
A: Icon is a multi-paradigm programming language designed for computer programming, created by Ralph Griswold in 1977.

### Q: Who developed Icon?
A: Icon was designed by Ralph Griswold, an American computer scientist.

### Q: When was Icon first released?
A: Icon was first created in 1977.

### Q: What is Icon used for?
A: Icon is used for computer programming tasks, including creating applications and systems, with a focus on multi-paradigm development.

## Why It Matters
Icon stands out as a multi-paradigm programming language that integrates structured, procedural, and expression-oriented programming paradigms, offering flexibility for diverse development needs. Developed by Ralph Griswold in 1977, it drew from SNOBOL’s text-oriented capabilities and ALGOL’s structured features, addressing the limitations of single-paradigm languages. Its dynamic typing and Icon source code format simplify development for tasks requiring flexibility, while its stable version history (e.g., 9.5.1 in 2013) ensures ongoing support. Icon’s role in academic and research contexts highlights its significance as a language that bridges different programming approaches, influencing subsequent languages and contributing to the evolution of multi-paradigm programming.

## Notable For
- Icon is a multi-paradigm language that combines structured, procedural, and expression-oriented programming paradigms.
- It was developed by Ralph Griswold and first released in 1977.
- It follows dynamic typing and uses Icon source code files for both reading and writing.
- The stable version 9.5.1 was released in 2013, with ongoing updates through 2023 (e.g., 9.5.23a in 2023-08-19).
- Its source code is hosted on GitHub under https://github.com/gtownsend/icon.

## Body
### History and Development
Icon was first created in 1977 by Ralph Griswold, an American computer scientist. The language was developed at AT&T Bell Laboratories as part of the SNOBOL project, which also included contributions from David J. Farber and Ivan P. Polonsky. Icon’s design drew from SNOBOL’s text-oriented capabilities and ALGOL’s structured programming features, aiming to provide a flexible language for diverse computing tasks.

### Technical Specifications
Icon is a multi-paradigm language supporting structured, procedural, and expression-oriented programming. It uses dynamic typing, meaning variable types are determined at runtime rather than compile time. The language’s readable and writable file format is the Icon source code file. The stable version 9.5.1 was released on June 6, 2013, with subsequent updates through 2023, including versions 9.5.20i (2020-08-02), 9.5.22e (2022-07-24), and 9.5.23a (2023-08-19).

### Community and Resources
The Icon source code is hosted on GitHub under the repository https://github.com/gtownsend/icon. The official website is http://www.cs.arizona.edu/icon. The language has a stable version history and is influenced by SNOBOL and ALGOL, with a sitelink count of 19 on Wikidata.

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Icon",
  "description": "A multi-paradigm programming language designed for computer programming, created by Ralph Griswold in 1977.",
  "url": "http://www.cs.arizona.edu/icon",
  "sameAs": ["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q328", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icon_(programming_language)"],
  "additionalType": "ProgrammingLanguage"
}

## References

1. [Source](https://github.com/JohnMarkOckerbloom/ftl/blob/master/data/wikimap)
2. [Source](https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/icon/v95u.htm)
3. [Source](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases)
4. [Source](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.22e)
5. [Source](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.23a)
6. [Release 9.5.20f. 2020](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.20f)
7. [Release 9.5.20g. 2020](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.20g)
8. [Release 9.5.20h. 2020](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.20h)
9. [Release 9.5.21b. 2021](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.21b)
10. [Release 9.5.22a. 2022](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.22a)
11. [Release 9.5.22b. 2022](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.22b)
12. [Release 9.5.22c. 2022](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.22c)
13. [Release 9.5.22d. 2022](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.22d)
14. [Release 9.5.23a. 2023](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.23a)
15. [Release 932. 2000](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/rel932)
16. [Release 940. 2001](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/rel940)
17. [Release 941. 2002](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/rel941)
18. [Release 942. 2003](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/rel942)
19. [Release 943. 2005](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/rel943)
20. [Release 950. 2010](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/rel950)
21. [Release 951. 2013](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/rel951)
22. [Release 9.5.24a. 2024](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.24a)
23. [Release 9.5.24b. 2024](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.24b)
24. [Release 9.5.25a. 2025](https://github.com/gtownsend/icon/releases/tag/v9.5.25a)
25. [Source](https://marketplace.sshopencloud.eu/tool-or-service/LLhGSH)
26. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
27. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File
28. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)