Precedent for use of =

[Jim Cathey]

Why did Algol use := in the first place?  Why not some other symbol?
Was it just because it was easy to type on the keypunch?  (I think it
was a quick roll off the F to the V key with the shift down or
somesuch).  This makes no sense to me as I recall that Algol was
invented in much the same way as APL was -- as a language for humans to
express computer operations.  It was only implemented later.  Who knows
(who cares?).

If it was because of the keypunch, I wish that its demise would have
followed the Model 60.  := is a beach to type on every ASCII 'board
I've ever used.  Some other easy combo should have been chosen...  ;-)

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