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From: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (Jim Gardner)
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: Re: Request for computer science bloope
Message-ID: <16158@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Aug-85 09:48:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: watmath.16158
Posted: Mon Aug 12 09:48:33 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Aug-85 06:33:44 EDT
References: <115@uw-june> <53100120@trsvax> <353@wuphys.UUCP>
Reply-To: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (Jim Gardner)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 52

>>The University
>>of Waterloo decided to write their own version, calling it "WATFOR" presumably
>>meaning "WATerloo FORmula translation".  When they came out with a revision of
>>the compiler, it was naturally called WATFIV.
>
>	more stuff edited out here
>
>WATFIV really does stand for something sensible (I have forgotten what),
>it is not just the next version of WATFOR.  If anyone out in netland has
>a WATFIV manual, the history of the name is given there.

Having written the program logic manual for one of our WATFIV compilers,
I feel qualified to answer this on the net.  The name WATFIV was given
to the compiler because it was the one after WATFOR.  After the fact,
however, someone noticed that it could stand for "WATerloo Fortran IV",
and that became the public explanation of the name.

Good heavens, now I have to tell a joke.  Uhh, uhh...

A man had been driving all night and by morning was still far from
his destination.  He decided to stop at the next city he came to, and
park somewhere quiet so he could get an hour or two of sleep.  As luck
would have it, the quiet place he chose happened to be on one of the
city's major jogging routes.  No sooner had he settled back to snooze
when there came a knocking on his window.  He looked out and saw a
jogger running in place.

"Yes?"

"Excuse me, sir," the jogger said, "do you have the time?"

The man looked at the car clock and answered, "8:15".

The jogger said thanks and left.  The man settled back again, and
was just dozing off when there was another knock on the window
and another jogger.

"Excuse me, sir, do you have the time?"

"8:25!"

The jogger said thanks and left.  Now the man could see other joggers
passing by and he knew it was only a matter of time before another one
disturbed him.  To avoid the problem, he got out a pen and paper and
put a sign in his window saying, "I do not know the time!"

Once again he settled back to sleep.  He was just dozing off when
there was another knock on the window.

"Sir, sir?  It's 8:45."

				Jim Gardner, University of Waterloo