Focal: A New Conversational Language

This document introduces FOCAL, an easy-to-learn, conversational programming language developed by Digital Equipment Corporation for its PDP-8 family of computers. It explains how to write simple programs to perform calculations, such as interest rates, and demonstrates how the language can be used for more complex tasks like solving mathematical functions, plotting graphs, and managing repetitive tasks. The guide includes examples of code, flow charts, and a summary of FOCAL commands, operations, and error diagnostics.