Title :
"Wat For Ever:" Student-Oriented Computing at the University of Waterloo
Author :
Campbell, Stuart
Abstract :
In 1965, four undergraduates at the University of Waterloo wrote Watfor, a fast student-oriented Fortran compiler for the school´s IBM 7040, largely because the available Fortran compiler was slow and offered weak diagnostic and debugging tools. This article describes the birth and evolution of the Watfor family and explores how it fits into the University of Waterloo´s unique-within-Canada cooperative education program and pedagogical philosophy.
Keywords :
FORTRAN; computer science education; educational computing; educational institutions; program compilers; program debugging; program diagnostics; software tools; IBM 7040; University of Waterloo; Watfor family; debugging tools; diagnostic tools; fast student-oriented Fortran compiler; pedagogical philosophy; student-oriented computing; unique-within-Canada cooperative education program; Computer languages; Computer science education; Education courses; Program processors; Canadian computing; Fortran; Watfor; computer science; computer science education; history of computing;
Journal_Title :
Annals of the History of Computing, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/MAHC.2012.1
