20 Mar
2007
20 Mar
'07
7:54 a.m.
Ethan Dicks wrote:
On 3/20/07, Ram Meenakshisundaram <RMeenaks at
olf.com> wrote:
I caught that earlier. The thing that really snagged my attention was
when they got to "Backus-Naur notation" and I read he was _that_
Backus.
I am just old enough to have been paid to program in FORTRAN, but I'm
really glad I didn't have to do much of it. Besides lifting
programming out of its primordial foundations, John Backus gave us the
platform from which ADVENT sprang. No disrepect to Grace Hopper
intended, but can you imagine trying to write a text adventure in
COBOL?
I've done quite a bit of scientific programming in support of my father
the scientist. There's some stuff for which I just prefer FORTRAN.
I've read much of his stuff, being a fan of his. He'll be missed.
Peace... Sridhar