DESIGN PRINCIPLES

The G-EXEC design principles were few and simple:-

• Generality: data independence
• Portability: to different machines and operating systems
• Integration
• Ease of use
• Flexible data (structure) modelling

These principles were combined with a top-down design approach to ensure consistency of style, and bottom-up development. The entire system was written in ANSI FORTRAN 66 for maximum portability, combined with the efficiency offered at the time by the available Fortran compilers.

The principles and structure are summarised in this single page diagram: