Subroutinized tape sorting

The drawbacks of large, general tape sorting programs are pointed out, and a sorting subroutine is suggested as a remedy. The fundamental idea is the separation of the logic in tape sorting from the actual manipulation of external tape units by introduction of the concept of an elementary sorting loop. Examples show how common problems in sorting can be solved using the sorting loop concept. A few considerations in the design and implementation of a sorting subroutine are mentioned, and finally a measure of the efficiency of tape sorting methods is proposed.