10 Jul
2016
10 Jul
'16
6:52 a.m.
As far as I know, it [|] has always been used as
'or' on computers.
I was on the NPL (eventually PL/I) committee when IBM 'generously'
increased the 360 character set from 48 to 60. George Radin grabbed
| for OR, before IBM announced the character set. Previously
the customary use for | in logic was the "Scheffer stroke", which
we now know as NAND. So "always" is ever since it became available.
Was PL/I the first to adopt it?
Doug