SAKO (PL: System Automatycznego KOdowania - EN: An Automatic Coding System) is a Polish language-based programming language written between 1959 and 1960 by a team from the ZAM division of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Originally developed for the XYZ and ZAM-2 computers, it was also ported over to the ZAM-21, ZAM-41 and the Mińsk-22.

General features of the SAKO language:

  • commands similar to sentences used in natural language
  • shortening the time required to learn the principles of programming
  • ease of use, which reduced coding time
  • transparent program code, lowering the probability of making a mistake

It had a static address allocation. It was possible to insert code in SAS macro assembler. The compilation proceeded in two stages:

  1. From SAKO to simplified SAS macro assembler (SAS-W).
  2. From SAS-W to machine language.

The most characteristic feature of SAKO are Polish commands, e.g. CZYTAJ, SKOCZ DO. It was designed primarily for programming numerical calculations.

"Hello, world" example

  • Prace Zakładu Aparatów Matematycznych PAN, "System Automatycznego Kodowania SAKO. Cz. 1, Opis języka", PAN – Warszawa 1961
  • Leon Łukaszewicz, Antoni Mazurkiewicz "System automatycznego kodowania SAKO" Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, Polish Academy of Sciences Publishing House, Wrocław-Warszawa-Kraków 1966
  • . Digital Computer Newsletter. 16 (1): 22–23. 1964. Archived from on June 3, 2018.
  • Antoni Mazurkiewicz Annual Review in Automatic Programming, Vol. 2
  • Leon Łukaszewicz Annual Review in Automatic Programming, Vol. 2
  • Władysław Turski "Some Results of Research on Automatic Programming in Eastern Europe" Advances in Computers, Vol. 5
  • , Institute of Mathematical Machines, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
  • CIA-RDP80T00246A011500230001-8

Citations