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The December 1969 issue of C&A is devoted to mini computers, including a section on evaluating them for purchase.

The article on assembler evaluation is particularly interesting.  While we take the functions below for granted today, at one time not that long ago they were not always available in the smallest machines.

http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/computersAndAutomation/196912.pdf

Is it possible to produce relocatable code? - Relocatable
code can reduce assembly time because subroutines need
not be assembled every time they are used, nor is it
necessary to always locate routines at fixed origins.
What features are available and what are the configuration
requirements for each? - A macro assembler requiring
8K of core is useless if you purchase a 4K machine.
Is the assembler device independent? - If you intend to
purchase high-performance peripherals, determine whether
they can be used with the standard software.

Is an assembler available which may be run on a
large-scale machine? - The availability of an assembler for a
large-scale machine can make life a lot more pleasant, if a
large amount of programming must be done without high performance
peripherals.

Is there a macro capability? - Macro's are very useful if
you intend to develop an assembler tailored to a specific
application such as electronic testing.

How many passes are required for assembly? - The
important point to consider here is the number of times
that the source tape must be passed in order to produce a
listing and an object tape. Some systems require three
passes with basic equipment. One-pass assemblers, while
gaining speed in assembly, leave much to be resolved by the
loader and, therefore, use many indirect addresses.
What pseudo-ops are available? - Pseudo-ops are directives
to the assembler. They increase the usefulness and
flexibility of the assembler.

Are literals permitted? - Literals provide a convenient
method for defining constants and make a program easier
to follow.

What forms of number conversion are available? - Most
assemblers allow for the conversion of decimal integers. The
conversion of mixed decimal and floating point numbers is
usually restricted to machines having more than 4096k 
words of core. If the basic assembler does not have these
conversions, check on the availability of a stand-alone
conversion program for this purpose.

Is the object code compatible with Fortran? - Compatible
object code permits intermi xing Fortran and assembly
language programs, which communicate through the use of
the COMMON pseudo-op.

How large a program can be assembled? - The limit on
how large a program the assembler can handle is determined
by the room available for the symbol table.

Is a concordance provided? - A concordance is a list of
the symbols used in a program with the address assigned
and the identification of the program lines that refer to the
symbol. This feature is usually not available in 4K assemblers.

What syntax error detection is available? - It is important
that the assembler be able to detect and inform the
user of all syntax errors. An operation mode in which only
error lines are listed saves much time on basic machines.

What types of expressions are allowed? - Expressions
for expressing data values and addresses are very useful if
the values change from assembly to assembly. Basic assemblers
usually limit expressions to the use of the addition
and subtraction operators; more advanced assemblers permit
multiplication, division, logical and relational (greater
than, equal, etc.) operators.

Are conditional assembly pseudo-ops available? - The
capability of determining which lines will be assembled by
evaluating an expression saves much programming time. It
i~ possible to write a large prototype program which
handles a large class of problems and then customize it by
setting control variables. The result is a program which is
only as large as is necessary to do the immediate task.



That issue also has a full page ad for an APL time sharing service.

TEN TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN FORTRAN!

WHY? THREE WEEKS WORK can be done in one productive day.

HOW? Continuous hands-on-time programming; over 400 turn-arounds possible per day.

WHAT IS IT? It's a newly-discovered computational shorthand, a fully-general computer languagefor all types of programming. Every Programmer should learn it. (APL became an IBM PRODUCT in September, 1969; not to be confused with PL/, an older IBM language)

PROBLEM-SOLVING at your desk.
INTERACTIVE; hands-on-time for fast turn-around.
COST: You pay only $12 per hour because others
"time share" the same machine.
MANY HIGH-POWERED PROGRAMS available for
immediate use or easily incorporated into, your
own programming.
ALWAYS AVAILABLE, 24 hours per day, 7 days
a week, including holidays. .
SCHEDULES: Immediate diagnostics and faster
programming; therefore, schedules can be met
and beaten, with APL.
LOCATIONS: For information on terminals and
service, call the location nearest you and ask for
the sales department.

Not for sale for unethical or destructive purposes