Anthony James Barr
Encyclopedia
Anthony James Barr, aka Tony Barr or Jim Barr (born 1940) is an American "programming language
" designer
, software engineer
, and inventor. Among his notable contributions are the Statistical Analysis System (SAS)
, automated lumber yield optimization, and the Automated Classification of Medical Entities (ACME).
, government
, industry
, and academia
, the SAS System
was conceived by Barr in 1966. In September 1966, in Athens, Georgia
, he presented the conceptual ideas of SAS to members of the Committee on Statistical Software of the University Statisticians of the Southern Experiment Stations
(USSES).
Barr had earlier created an analysis of variance
modeling language inspired by the notation of statistician Maurice Kendall
. He developed it in assembly language
on the IBM 1410
as a graduate student at North Carolina State University
from 1962 to 1963. Dr. A. Grandage, author of IBM 650
analysis of variance programs, advised on some of the statistical computations. This was followed by a multiple regression program with a flexible input format and with algebraic transformation of variables, in 1963 to 1964. Drawing on those programs, along with his experience with structured data files, he created SAS, placing statistical procedures into a formatted file framework.
Barr's experience with structured data files was gained while working on the Formatted File System
, (see below). From 1966 to 1968, Barr developed the fundamental structure and language of SAS.
In 1968, Barr began collaboration with others. Barr designed and implemented the programming language, data management, report writing, and systems areas of the evolving system. In 1976, SAS Institute, Inc.
was incorporated by Anthony J. Barr, James H. Goodnight
, John P. Sall, and Jane T. Helwig, with Barr holding the largest share (40%). He sold his shares in 1979.
from 1967 to 1969. ACME is a computer program that assigns one underlying cause of death based on multiple causes of death listed on the death certificate.
ACME in conjunction with other components comprise the Mortality Medical Data System
(MMDS). This system is used to uniformly determine underlying cause of death for all death certificates in the United States. ACME has become the de facto international standard for the automated selection of the underlying cause of death. It and the other components of MMDS, or variations of them are used in many nations around the world. The system provides essential data used in calculating mortality statistics.
In 1973, Barr-Mullin, Inc. was incorporated, and its lumber yield optimization technology remains widely used in the American wood industry.
linking loader for the IBM/360. Named LDR, the loader was sponsored by American Data Processing Inc. of Raleigh
, North Carolina
. The Barr Loader cut typical program testing times by twenty-five percent.
IBM did not offer the equivalent Loader for over eighteen months after the Barr Loader was commercially available.
. Marketed by the University Computing Company (UCC), the HASP emulator gave a significant performance increase over the IBM 2780 emulator he had developed for UCC in 1969. The emulators were developed on the PDP-8
minicomputer and allowed COPE terminals to communicate with the IBM/360 and IBM/370.
In 1971, Barr also implemented the HASP workstation for M & M Computer Industries, Orange, California
. Implemented on the Data General Nova
minicomputer, the program became the Singer Corporation
Remote Batch Terminal. Both Singer and UCC sold their terminal divisions to Harris Corporation
, which continued to market the products.
In 1983, Barr developed hardware and software for performing HASP remote job entry communication on the IBM PC. His company, Barr Systems, Inc., marketed and sold Barr HASP, and went on to implement and support Bisync and SNA SDLC
workstation
s and gateway
s, along with other data communications and output management products.
, Washington, D.C.
from 1964 to 1966. There he worked on the NIPS Formatted File System
. FFS, a generalized data base management system for retrieval and report writing, was one of the first data management systems to take advantage of defined file structure for data storage and retrieval efficiency.
Assigned to work with the National Military Command Center
, the information processing
branch of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
, Barr rewrote and enhanced FFS, implementing three of its five major components: retrieval, sorting, and file update. His work featured the innovation of a uniform lexical analyzer for all languages in the system with a uniform method of handling all error messages.
Working with FFS introduced Barr to the potential of the defined file structure, which was to become a central concept of SAS (above).
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
" designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
, software engineer
Software engineer
A software engineer is an engineer who applies the principles of software engineering to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers or anything containing software, such as computer chips, work.- Overview :...
, and inventor. Among his notable contributions are the Statistical Analysis System (SAS)
SAS System
SAS is an integrated system of software products provided by SAS Institute Inc. that enables programmers to perform:* retrieval, management, and mining* report writing and graphics* statistical analysis...
, automated lumber yield optimization, and the Automated Classification of Medical Entities (ACME).
Statistical Analysis System (SAS)
Widely used internationally in scienceScience
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
, and academia
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
, the SAS System
SAS System
SAS is an integrated system of software products provided by SAS Institute Inc. that enables programmers to perform:* retrieval, management, and mining* report writing and graphics* statistical analysis...
was conceived by Barr in 1966. In September 1966, in Athens, Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
, he presented the conceptual ideas of SAS to members of the Committee on Statistical Software of the University Statisticians of the Southern Experiment Stations
University Statisticians of the Southern Experiment Stations
The University Statisticians of the Southern Experiment Stations was a coalition of southern Universities formed in the mid 1960s for the purpose of coordinating efforts in the development of statistical software...
(USSES).
Barr had earlier created an analysis of variance
Analysis of variance
In statistics, analysis of variance is a collection of statistical models, and their associated procedures, in which the observed variance in a particular variable is partitioned into components attributable to different sources of variation...
modeling language inspired by the notation of statistician Maurice Kendall
Maurice Kendall
Sir Maurice George Kendall, FBA was a British statistician, widely known for his contribution to statistics. The Kendall tau rank correlation is named after him.-Education and early life:...
. He developed it in assembly language
Assembly language
An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
on the IBM 1410
IBM 1410
The IBM 1410, a member of the IBM 1400 series, was a variable wordlength decimal computer that was announced by IBM on September 12, 1960 and marketed as a midrange "Business Computer". It was withdrawn on March 30, 1970. The 1410 was similar in design to the very popular IBM 1401, but it had one...
as a graduate student at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
from 1962 to 1963. Dr. A. Grandage, author of IBM 650
IBM 650
The IBM 650 was one of IBM’s early computers, and the world’s first mass-produced computer. It was announced in 1953, and over 2000 systems were produced between the first shipment in 1954 and its final manufacture in 1962...
analysis of variance programs, advised on some of the statistical computations. This was followed by a multiple regression program with a flexible input format and with algebraic transformation of variables, in 1963 to 1964. Drawing on those programs, along with his experience with structured data files, he created SAS, placing statistical procedures into a formatted file framework.
Barr's experience with structured data files was gained while working on the Formatted File System
Formatted File System
The Formatted File System is the name of a series of Database Management Systems developed for military use and designed to run on IBM mainframe computers....
, (see below). From 1966 to 1968, Barr developed the fundamental structure and language of SAS.
In 1968, Barr began collaboration with others. Barr designed and implemented the programming language, data management, report writing, and systems areas of the evolving system. In 1976, SAS Institute, Inc.
SAS Institute
SAS Institute Inc. , headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, USA, has been a major producer of software since it was founded in 1976 by Anthony Barr, James Goodnight, John Sall and Jane Helwig...
was incorporated by Anthony J. Barr, James H. Goodnight
James Goodnight
James "Jim" Goodnight is the CEO of SAS Instituteand is generally recognized as the wealthiest man in the state of North Carolina and one of the wealthiest in the world.-Biography:...
, John P. Sall, and Jane T. Helwig, with Barr holding the largest share (40%). He sold his shares in 1979.
Automated Classification of Medical Entities (ACME)
Barr created the ACME program for the National Center for Health StatisticsNational Center for Health Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics is a division of the United States federal agency the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . As such, NCHS is under the United States Department of Health and Human Services...
from 1967 to 1969. ACME is a computer program that assigns one underlying cause of death based on multiple causes of death listed on the death certificate.
ACME in conjunction with other components comprise the Mortality Medical Data System
Mortality Medical Data System
The Mortality Medical Data System is used to automate the entry, classification, and retrieval of cause-of-death information reported on death certificates throughout the United States and in many other countries...
(MMDS). This system is used to uniformly determine underlying cause of death for all death certificates in the United States. ACME has become the de facto international standard for the automated selection of the underlying cause of death. It and the other components of MMDS, or variations of them are used in many nations around the world. The system provides essential data used in calculating mortality statistics.
Automated Lumber Yield Optimization
In 1971 and 1972, Barr, along with partner Sandy Mullin designed, patented, and built the first computerized equipment to optimize the usage of lumber in the furniture industry. The device read marked flaws on a board, calculated the cross and rip cuts required for optimal board usage, and marked the cut lines on the board.In 1973, Barr-Mullin, Inc. was incorporated, and its lumber yield optimization technology remains widely used in the American wood industry.
Linking Loader for the IBM/360
In 1968, Barr created the first non-IBMIBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
linking loader for the IBM/360. Named LDR, the loader was sponsored by American Data Processing Inc. of Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The Barr Loader cut typical program testing times by twenty-five percent.
IBM did not offer the equivalent Loader for over eighteen months after the Barr Loader was commercially available.
IBM Workstation Simulators
In 1971, Barr created the first non-IBM HASP terminal emulatorTerminal emulator
A terminal emulator, terminal application, term, or tty for short, is a program that emulates a video terminal within some other display architecture....
. Marketed by the University Computing Company (UCC), the HASP emulator gave a significant performance increase over the IBM 2780 emulator he had developed for UCC in 1969. The emulators were developed on the PDP-8
PDP-8
The 12-bit PDP-8 was the first successful commercial minicomputer, produced by Digital Equipment Corporation in the 1960s. DEC introduced it on 22 March 1965, and sold more than 50,000 systems, the most of any computer up to that date. It was the first widely sold computer in the DEC PDP series of...
minicomputer and allowed COPE terminals to communicate with the IBM/360 and IBM/370.
In 1971, Barr also implemented the HASP workstation for M & M Computer Industries, Orange, California
Orange, California
Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...
. Implemented on the Data General Nova
Data General Nova
The Data General Nova was a popular 16-bit minicomputer built by the American company Data General starting in 1969. The Nova was packaged into a single rack mount case and had enough power to do most simple computing tasks. The Nova became popular in science laboratories around the world, and...
minicomputer, the program became the Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation is a manufacturer of sewing machines, first established as I.M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then The Singer Company in 1963. It is...
Remote Batch Terminal. Both Singer and UCC sold their terminal divisions to Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation is a Florida-based international communications equipment company that produces wireless equipment, electronic systems, and both terrestrial and spaceborne antennas for use in the government, defense, and commercial sectors. It is also the largest private-sector employer in...
, which continued to market the products.
In 1983, Barr developed hardware and software for performing HASP remote job entry communication on the IBM PC. His company, Barr Systems, Inc., marketed and sold Barr HASP, and went on to implement and support Bisync and SNA SDLC
Synchronous Data Link Control
Synchronous Data Link Control is a computer communications protocol. It is the layer 2 protocol for IBM's Systems Network Architecture . SDLC supports multipoint links as well as error correction. It also runs under the assumption that an SNA header is present after the SDLC header...
workstation
Workstation
A workstation is a high-end microcomputer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by one person at a time, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems...
s and gateway
Gateway (telecommunications)
In telecommunications, the term gateway has the following meaning:*In a communications network, a network node equipped for interfacing with another network that uses different protocols....
s, along with other data communications and output management products.
Formatted File System (FFS)
Barr was employed with IBM Federal Systems Division at the PentagonThe Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
from 1964 to 1966. There he worked on the NIPS Formatted File System
Formatted File System
The Formatted File System is the name of a series of Database Management Systems developed for military use and designed to run on IBM mainframe computers....
. FFS, a generalized data base management system for retrieval and report writing, was one of the first data management systems to take advantage of defined file structure for data storage and retrieval efficiency.
Assigned to work with the National Military Command Center
National Military Command Center
Located in the Pentagon, the National Military Command Center houses the logistical and communications center for the National Command Authority of the United States of America. The facility, which is composed of several war rooms, is the principal command and control center of the Department of...
, the information processing
Information processing
Information processing is the change of information in any manner detectable by an observer. As such, it is a process which describes everything which happens in the universe, from the falling of a rock to the printing of a text file from a digital computer system...
branch of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
, Barr rewrote and enhanced FFS, implementing three of its five major components: retrieval, sorting, and file update. His work featured the innovation of a uniform lexical analyzer for all languages in the system with a uniform method of handling all error messages.
Working with FFS introduced Barr to the potential of the defined file structure, which was to become a central concept of SAS (above).
Patents
- Barr, Anthony J. and Mullin, Alexander G., Apparatus and method for optimizing the yield of usable pieces from boards and the like. 3,931,501, 1-6-76, Cl. 235-151.100.
- Barr, Anthony J. and Mullin, Alexander G., Apparatus for optimizing the yield of usable pieces from boards and the like. 3,942,021, 3-2-76, Cl. 250-572.000.
- Barr, Anthony J. and Mullin, Alexander G., Apparatus and method for maximizing utilization of elongated stock. 4,017,976, 4-19-1977, Cl. 235-151.l.
Education
- BS in Applied Physics (with honors), North Carolina State University, 1962.
- MS in Physics, North Carolina State University, 1968.
- 1963 National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Fellowship to study physical oceanography at Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionThe Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers. Established in 1930, it is the largest independent oceanographic research...
. - 1963 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship at North Carolina State University.
- 1995 Distinguished Alumnus, North Carolina State University, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.
- 1963 National Science Foundation