From: nospam@home.invalid   
      
   >> Around 1989, I got access to UNIX workstations and also worked in C   
   >> and various script languages, especially Perl.   
   >   
   > What else was there in terms of “scripting” at the time?   
      
   One had OS-dependent scripting at least as far as early 1980s.   
      
   On HP RTE-6 VM there were "transfer files" with some two-letter control   
   statements. On IBM VM/CMS one could write scripts in EXEC, then EXEC2,   
   and later REXX (REXX is still kicking and alive). On VAX VMS "command   
   files" where written in DCL (Digital Command Language).   
      
   I was exposed to all of them (and of course a lot of Fortran).   
   Cannot remember what was used on PDP 11, I had a limited exposure.   
      
   At least in astronomy, dedicated scripting languages were implemented in   
   some data analysis environents, usually mimicking those of the OS under   
   which they ran.   
      
   So e.g. ESO IHAP had something mimicking HP TR files, ESO MIDAS   
   mimicking VAX DCL, amd NOAO IRAF (running on VMS and Unix) a "cl" of its   
   own.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)