Speakeasy: A Long-Standing Numerical Computing Environment
Speakeasy, a historical and influential numerical computing environment, is a testament to the evolution of scientific software in the late 20th century. Developed by theoretical physicist Stanley Cohen at the Physics Division of Argonne National Laboratory, this interactive environment was designed to streamline the complex computational tasks required in scientific research. Its creation, rooted in the late 1960s, reflects a time when computers were large, cumbersome systems, and the tools available for computational analysis were rudimentary by today’s standards. Despite its age, Speakeasy continues to hold a place in the field of scientific computing, evolving alongside advances in technology and computing platforms.
The genesis of Speakeasy, initially created for internal use, marked the beginning of a long journey that would result in it becoming a commercially available product. Cohen’s work, starting with the design of a dynamic data repository known as “Named storage,” provided a foundation for what would become a robust numerical computing package. This repository, developed in the early 1960s, remained the core structure of Speakeasy, helping the software transition from the mainframe systems of the 1960s to the minicomputers and personal computers of the 1980s and 1990s.
Origins and Development at Argonne National Laboratory
Speakeasy’s development at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in the 1960s was driven by the need for a specialized computational tool that could handle the complex, data-intensive work performed by physicists. At the time, computers were large, expensive, and not as user-friendly as today’s machines. In this environment, creating software that could run efficiently on these systems was a challenging task. The choice to develop Speakeasy arose from the need to simplify the increasingly sophisticated numerical calculations required in the research process, particularly for tasks involving large-scale simulations and data processing.
The early version of Speakeasy was designed to work on the CDC 3600 system, one of the most advanced mainframes available at the time. As the computing landscape evolved, Cohen and his team worked tirelessly to port the software to new platforms, such as minicomputers and personal computers, as they emerged. This adaptability was largely due to the use of Mortran, a metalanguage that helped mitigate platform-specific issues and allowed the core software to remain compatible across different systems. Mortran macros abstracted away some of the complexities of dealing with different compilers and hardware, thus enabling the portability of Speakeasy’s codebase.
Key Features and Functionality
Speakeasy distinguished itself early on through its interactive nature. Unlike many of its contemporaries, which required users to submit batch jobs for processing, Speakeasy allowed for a more immediate interaction with the system. This interactivity was crucial for researchers who needed quick feedback on their calculations and simulations. It also introduced an early form of dynamic linking, enabling users to extend the functionality of the software with modular components.
Named Storage and Linkules
One of Speakeasy’s most innovative features was its Named Storage system. This core repository allowed for dynamic and efficient handling of data, enabling the program to support complex, multi-dimensional datasets. Named Storage was built to be flexible and scalable, ensuring that as computational needs grew more sophisticated, the environment could evolve without requiring a complete redesign.
Another crucial feature that set Speakeasy apart was its support for linkules—a term derived from “LINKable-modULES.” Linkules were user-defined or externally developed modules that could be dynamically linked to the main program as needed. These modules, written in either FORTRAN or C, provided a way to add new functions and capabilities to Speakeasy without disturbing the core program. This modular design gave users a high degree of flexibility in tailoring the system to their specific needs.
Linkules were particularly beneficial in Speakeasy’s early days, as they allowed different components of the software to remain independent of one another. This independence meant that users could develop and improve specific functions without affecting the overall system’s stability or performance. Additionally, this design philosophy encouraged users to create and share specialized packages that could be integrated with the main software, enriching Speakeasy’s ecosystem.
Modeleasy: A Major User-Created Package
One of the most notable packages developed using Speakeasy was Modeleasy. Originally developed as FEDeasy in the early 1970s by researchers at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Modeleasy became one of the most important econometric tools in the field. Its primary function was to facilitate the estimation and simulation of large econometric models, a task that was becoming increasingly important as researchers sought to understand complex economic systems.
Modeleasy’s design took full advantage of Speakeasy’s modularity. By leveraging Speakeasy’s Named Storage and linkule capabilities, Modeleasy was able to efficiently manage large datasets and perform complex calculations, all while providing an accessible and interactive user interface. Over time, Modeleasy evolved into a standalone product, illustrating the significant role that user-created packages played in extending Speakeasy’s capabilities.
Transition to Commercial Availability
As Speakeasy proved its value to the scientific community, it became apparent that the software could be of use beyond Argonne National Laboratory. Stanley Cohen founded Speakeasy Computing Corporation to make the software available commercially. This move marked a significant milestone in Speakeasy’s development, as it transitioned from an internal tool to a product that could be licensed by other research institutions and commercial entities.
By the time the software was made commercially available, Speakeasy had already undergone several major updates and had been ported to multiple computing platforms, including PCs running Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as departmental computers and workstations running various flavors of Linux, AIX, and Solaris. The software’s adaptability to different operating systems was a key selling point, as it ensured that Speakeasy could be used in a wide variety of research environments.
Despite the rapid growth of alternative numerical computing environments during the 1990s and 2000s, Speakeasy’s unique design and long-standing history continued to attract a dedicated user base. The software’s flexibility, modularity, and extensibility made it a valuable tool for researchers in many scientific fields, particularly in areas that required complex simulations or the handling of large datasets.
Speakeasy Today and Legacy
While Speakeasy may no longer be the cutting-edge software that it once was, its influence on the field of numerical computing is undeniable. The software’s innovative features, such as its interactive nature, modular design, and the use of linkules, have influenced the development of many subsequent computing environments. Speakeasy was one of the first interactive numerical computing environments, and its capabilities laid the groundwork for the types of software that are now commonplace in scientific computing.
Speakeasy’s longevity is also a testament to the robustness of its design. The core principles of flexibility, user-driven customization, and modularity allowed the environment to evolve alongside the changing landscape of computing. Despite being released in 2006, Speakeasy’s legacy continues in the form of other software that adopts similar modular architectures, dynamic linking, and user-driven customization.
Conclusion
Speakeasy is a remarkable example of how scientific software can evolve over decades to meet the changing needs of researchers and the technological landscape. From its humble beginnings as a tool for physicists at Argonne National Laboratory, it grew into a commercial product that continued to serve a broad range of scientific disciplines. The software’s ability to adapt to different platforms, coupled with its unique modular architecture, ensured that it remained relevant in a rapidly changing technological environment.
Though Speakeasy may not be as widely used today as it once was, its influence on the field of numerical computing cannot be overstated. Its innovations in modular software design and interactive computing laid the groundwork for many of the tools that are now indispensable to scientists and researchers. The legacy of Speakeasy, while perhaps no longer as visible as in its heyday, continues to shape the development of scientific computing environments to this day.
References
- “Speakeasy (computational environment).” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speakeasy_(computational_environment)
- Stanley Cohen, Developer of Speakeasy. Speakeasy Computing Corporation. Website: speakeasy.com