'goto" gone from computer languages or is it!

[Randy McLaughlin]

From: "Scott Stevens" <chenmel at earthlink.net>
Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 1:24 AM


<snip>
> When I took the 'intro to computer programming' course in college** ,
> the punched-card language was FORTRAN.  The 'interactive' programming
> language was FOCAL at a teletype.
>
>
> (** Hamline University,  St. Paul, MN, 1978)

For me all the computers I had access to used punch cards.  The computers 
used 029 but the punches that were easiest to get to were 026's (with 
printed instructions for translating the differences posted on the punches).

I was working in a computer-lab for an oil company that used 029 punches 
where I did most of my work.

My problem is that while I was still in high-school I was working at the lab 
and was told that when the work was complete I had to stay in the lab until 
my shift was over but I could play with the computer if I wanted too.

They used an XDS Sigma 5, I went to Xerox to buy the manuals for the 
computer to learn how to program it.  I used Xerox's Fortran manual to learn 
programming which had a lot of extensions.  When I took my first Fortran 
course I had to "un-learn" the extensions.

What was really funny is that I knew nothing about programming and at the 
time thought all programs were written in Fortran.  The manuals were very 
technical so I went to a book store to find an easier book.  I found the 
perfect book, it was named "Basic Programming" :-)

I was cheap so I translated the Basic program examples to Fortran.


Randy
www.s100-manuals.com