CAMAL 40 years on - Is small still beautiful?

Abstract

Over forty years ago an algebra system was written in Cambridge, UK, designed to assist in a number of calculations in celestial mechanics and later in relativity. I present the hardware environment and the main design decisions that led this system, later dubbed CAMAL, to be used in many applications for twenty years. Its performance is investigated, both in its own era, and more recently. It is argued that a compact data representation as in CAMAL has real benefits even in today's larger memory world. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.