Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.8 $; site trsvax Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!lll-crg!dual!qantel!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!convex!trsvax!wkb From: wkb@trsvax Newsgroups: net.jokes Subject: Re: Request for computer science bloope Message-ID: <53100120@trsvax> Date: Tue, 6-Aug-85 10:19:00 EDT Article-I.D.: trsvax.53100120 Posted: Tue Aug 6 10:19:00 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 12-Aug-85 04:56:57 EDT References: <115@uw-june> Lines: 28 Nf-ID: #R:uw-june:-11500:trsvax:53100120:000:1417 Nf-From: trsvax!wkb Aug 6 09:19:00 1985 > I've been telling my 211 class some of the classic computer science bugs -- > like the one about the typo in the FORTRAN DO loop that crashed a Venus > probe, or the one about the payroll programmer who shaved the roundoff from > salaries into his own account. If any of you know any more classic, or > even any non-classic clever hacks or major stupidities involving computers > please tell me. They liven up otherwise dreary lectures. > > Michael Two of my favorite computer "bloopers" are the naming of certain computer programming languages. (Don't quote me on any of these facts, but this is the way I heard them)... After FORTRAN (short for FORmula TRANslation) became popular, 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. The language BCPL was used as the model for a language called simply "B". You guessed it, this language was used as the basis for the now popular language "C". Makes sense somehow... - wkb +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ > "History repeats itself. That's one of the things wrong with history." < +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+