JRT Pascal
| Industry | Software development |
|---|---|
| Founded | late 1970s |
| Founder | Jim Russell Tyson |
| Defunct | November 18, 1983 |
| Fate | Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy |
Area served | CP/M platform users |
| Products | JRT Pascal, Nevada Pascal, Modula-2 variant |
JRT Pascal (developed by Jim Russell Tyson) represents a version of the Pascal programming language that was accessible during the early 1980s on the CP/M platform.
History
During the late 1970s, UCSD Pascal dominated as the primary Pascal implementation for microcomputers, although its price, reaching several hundred dollars, was considered steep. This implementation was derived from the p-machine compiler developed at ETH Zurich, where Pascal originated.
Jim Russell Tyson designed JRT as a Pascal interpreter that compiled into its own unique pseudocode, differing from UCSD Pascal's p-code system. In the early 1980s, multiple companies introduced UCSD Pascal compilers tailored for microcomputers, with UCSD itself planning a native compiler to transition from interpretation to direct compilation. JRT distinguished itself by offering a substantially lower-cost alternative to UCSD Pascal—priced under —setting an early benchmark for affordable Pascal implementations—although this pricing edge lasted less than a year following the launch of Borland's Turbo Pascal.
Marketing for JRT highlighted "a complete CP/M Pascal for only !" after reducing its original price of . Despite high demand, JRT Systems encountered difficulties fulfilling orders and ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 18 November 1983. The product line persisted through version 4 at , along with a Modula-2 variant priced at , but Turbo Pascal’s genuine compiler combined with an integrated development environment (IDE) and a scalable business approach outpaced JRT. Subsequently, JRT was reportedly rebranded and sold as "Nevada Pascal" by Ellis Computing.
Reception
In May 1983, Jerry Pournelle criticized JRT Pascal 2.0 for being "deliberately a nonportable dialect" with inadequate error management, recommending novices avoid it. Editors at BYTE noted numerous complaints regarding slow shipment throughout 1983 and into early 1984. Pournelle later described version 3.0 as "a bargain at $29.95," acknowledging that most bugs had been resolved and useful utilities were included, yet he cautioned about its nonstandard features and ongoing delivery delays.
The existence of JRT initially complicated Borland’s efforts to convince users that Turbo Pascal was available. By August 1985, Bruce F. Webster characterized JRT Pascal as a "fiasco." In PC Magazine (1984), Jeff Duntemann labeled JRT Pascal "a terrible compiler" that damaged the integrity of the Pascal language specification and frequently caused CP/M-80 systems to crash, factors that contributed to JRT Systems’ bankruptcy later that year.