Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watmath.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!lll-crg!dual!qantel!ihnp4!mhuxn!mhuxr!ulysses!burl!clyde!watmath!jagardner 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