It is a REAL blast from the past. I did some Fortran coding in the early 1970's using this exact computer I think ( it had three numbers like 704 or 809 or something like that) and I definitely know it was Fortran - first language I learned.
That's why they invented BASIC - much easier - but not as fast.
Fortran is still used for very high speed calcs on large computers - think NASA or NOAA
Don't knock it...my first language was FORTRN IV using the WAT V compiler on an IBM 1620, while I was still in engineering school, which was well over 40 years ago now. Time sure flys when you're having fun ;-)
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
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Siemens PLM Software Inc.
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I luckily skipped the punched card stage, but only because the class was for IBM 360 assembly language, AND some kind soul told me bout Remote Job Entry, which allowed me to use TECO to edit the card deck on the VAX, and remotely submit the jobs to the IBM. Way cool...
That's pretty much all I remember of the class, other than an absymal attempt to code a square root routine in assembler.
Yes, Fortran is still going strong, and in many ways for someone familiar with VB and/or VBA it's an easier and more convenient route into complied languages than using more recent languages. Also there is still a whole heap of useful code that is only available in Fortran.
Yea, when I was in school all we had were a couple of old card punches and a card-reader outside the computer center to enter our jobs, where we then had to come back later to pick up our printouts. It was years later before my job evolved to where engineers were finally given access to 'workstations' connected directly to the mainframe with our own printer/plotter.
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Started with Fortran on a CDC9600 at Northeastern in the fall of 1970. Used to do my calculus homework by programming the work in Fortran. IBM 026 card punches and hand the deck to an operator who read the cards and tell you to come back in an hour. Had a picture of Snoopy sitting on his doghouse with 'holes' in it and a year calendar at the bottom of the printout, all done with hollerieth print statements and some DO loops where the lines were repeated. The card deck was about 450 cards.
I was still using card punches at my first job as an APT NC programmer for Corning Glass in their machine shop making molds for the glass products. Wasn't until early 1981 that we finally got terminals to use for RJE input.
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We were taught FORTRAN at university (1987). But we never actually used it. BASIC and assembler were much more useful at that time and in any classes that involved writing computer programs, we could use any language we liked.
It wasn't until I was presented with hunks of (expensive) rotting legacy FORTRAN that I needed to learn the language properly so that I could write user subroutines.
I find the FORTRAN die-hards an amusing bunch. I guess the existence of and reliance upon BLAS & LAPACK will guaratee their survival.
