[SPG_Active_Members] History of Computing class [repeat]

[Ronald Mak]

  BODY { font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px; }Hi,
Van.
 In my compiler design class last spring semester (which I'll also be
teaching again this fall semester along with the history class), I
gave extra credit to students who looked at the Autocoder source code
of the 8K, 63-pass compiler (OK, they only read the comments) and
figured out what happened during each pass. Of course, they first had
to learn something about ancient FORTRAN. It made those students stop
complaining that I was making them write a 3-pass compiler using Java
on their 4 GB laptops.
 One history project idea which I'm working out with the Computer
History Museum: A small group of my students learn all they can about
the 1401 (how to program and operate the machine, the punched-card
culture, etc.) and at the end of the semester, they teach a one-day
hands-on class on the 1401 to local high school students.
 -- Ron
 On Fri 15/07/11  5:22 PM , Van Snyder Van.Snyder at jpl.nasa.gov sent:
 > Thank you very much, all of you who responded with project ideas
and 
 > offers to be advisors to my students and especially volunteers to
give 
 > guest lectures! 
 How about this for a project:  Reverse engineer the 1401 Fortran IV 
 compiler?
 Van 
 
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