# RTL/2

> programming language developed at Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd by J.G.P. Barnes

**Wikidata**: [Q7277848](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7277848)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTL/2)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/rtl-2

## Summary
RTL/2 is a structured programming language developed in 1972 by the British computer scientist John G. P. Barnes. It was designed and developed at Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (ICI) and is characterized by its imperative, procedural nature and a strong, static typing discipline.

## Key Facts
- **Inception:** RTL/2 was created in 1972.
- **Developer:** The language was developed by John Barnes (J.G.P. Barnes), a British computer scientist, engineer, and mathematician born in 1937.
- **Organization:** It was designed by Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (ICI).
- **Type:** It is classified as a programming language utilizing imperative and procedural paradigms.
- **Typing Discipline:** The language features static, strong, safe, and structural typing.
- **Paradigm:** It adheres to structured programming principles.
- **Standard Identifiers:** Library of Congress Authority ID `sh85115616`; National Library of Israel J9U ID `987007546255905171`.
- **Wikipedia Presence:** The language has Wikipedia articles in English and Norwegian.

## FAQs
### Q: Who created RTL/2?
A: RTL/2 was created by John G. P. Barnes, a British computer scientist who also worked as an engineer and mathematician. He developed the language while working at Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd.

### Q: When was RTL/2 developed?
A: RTL/2 was developed in 1972.

### Q: What are the main programming features of RTL/2?
A: RTL/2 is an imperative and procedural language that supports structured programming. It is defined by a specific typing discipline that is static, strong, safe, and structural.

## Why It Matters
RTL/2 serves as a distinct example of industrial software development practices in the early 1970s. Developed by Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd, one of the UK's largest industrial companies, it represents the era's move towards "structured programming," a paradigm designed to improve the clarity, quality, and development time of software by relying on subroutines and block structures.

The language is notable for its rigorous "typing discipline," incorporating static, strong, safe, and structural typing. In the context of industrial applications, such strict typing helps prevent errors by ensuring that data types are known at compile time and are structurally compatible, which is critical for the reliability of complex or safety-sensitive systems. While many languages from this era have faded, RTL/2 remains a documented part of computing history, cataloged by major libraries and recognized for its specific technical architecture.

## Notable For
- **Industrial Origins:** Unlike many languages born in academia or government labs, RTL/2 was developed within the corporate structure of Imperial Chemical Industries.
- **Typing System:** It is distinguished by its comprehensive typing discipline (static, strong, safe, structural), which was a sophisticated approach for a language of its time.
- **Creator's Pedigree:** It was created by John Barnes, a noted 20th-century British computer scientist who later developed the Charm programming language in 1996.
- **Structured Paradigm:** It is a historical example of the adoption of structured programming methodologies in the early 1970s.

## Body
### Origins and Development
RTL/2 was developed in 1972 by John Barnes (J.G.P. Barnes). Barnes is a British computer scientist, engineer, and mathematician (born 1937) who developed the language under the auspices of Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (ICI). The language is an "instance of" a programming language, intended for communicating instructions to a machine.

### Technical Specifications
The language is defined by several distinct technical properties:
*   **Programming Paradigms:** RTL/2 utilizes structured programming, imperative programming, and procedural programming.
*   **Typing Discipline:** The language enforces **static typing** (types are checked before runtime), **strong typing** (strict enforcement of type rules), **safe typing**, and **structural typing** (type compatibility is determined by the structure of the data).

### Administrative and Identifiers
RTL/2 is indexed in various databases and libraries, confirming its standing as a recognized computing entity.
*   **Library of Congress Authority ID:** sh85115616
*   **National Library of Israel J9U ID:** 987007546255905171
*   **Freebase ID:** /m/0cmcq9h

### Related Entities
The language is frequently associated with its creator, John Barnes, who is also known for the creation of the **Charm** programming language (incepted in 1996).

## References

1. [Source](https://github.com/JohnMarkOckerbloom/ftl/blob/master/data/wikimap)
2. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File