B+?  Is that your GPA?

 

Good one. Actually it was at both High school and University.
Calculus really cost me on the grade averages( and working
while going to school).

Good one. Actually it was at both High school and University.
Calculus really cost me on the grade averages( and working
while going to school).

Yeah.  I had 2 F grades from the semester when my apartment complex was leveled by a gas leak explosion.

I was taking 2 computer classes from the strictest CSCI professor there.  He told me he would not give me an incomplete because he didn't think I could make up the work over the Summer months.

I wound up taking both classes that Summer session under another professor and received an A+ in both.

Still graduated on time and was commissioned.  Cost me extra bucks to retake the credit hours unnecessarily, but didn't affect my life otherwise.

I took FORTRAN in college. A small step up from punch cards 😝

When I took FORTRAN, I had to use punch cards.

It was the lowest level programming language offered.  Since terminals were not always available, FORTRAN students were not allowed on them.

It was so bad sometimes, you had to put yourself on a waiting list at 3AM for a terminal.

One reason I had my Commodore 64 was to use as a dial-up terminal from off campus.  Not sure I'd have passed my 4 programming courses that last semester without it.

I took FORTRAN in college. A small step up from punch cards 😝

FORTRAN is FORmula TRANslator.
AKA "FORTRASH".
Punch cards were Hollerith cards invented by a soldier
in the civil war.
FORTRAN is really the IBM 360 machine code "Prettied up".
I read most programming languages like you read
the bible.
Every language has it's pluses and minuses.
I thank God I never had to make my living as
a coder. Although I've written 100's of thousands of lines of code.

Yeah.  I had 2 F grades from the semester when my apartment complex was leveled by a gas leak explosion.

I was taking 2 computer classes from the strictest CSCI professor there.  He told me he would not give me an incomplete because he didn't think I could make up the work over the Summer months.

I wound up taking both classes that Summer session under another professor and received an A+ in both.

Still graduated on time and was commissioned.  Cost me extra bucks to retake the credit hours unnecessarily, but didn't affect my life otherwise.

Schools I went to were private and there was no such thing as A+
One of my Calculus Instructors( an Iranian) had me explain my answers
on an exam in front of the entire class as he was offended by
my wrong answers. Tough school.  That is why I switched from a
Math Major to Computer science.  At that school anything less
than a "B" in your major eliminated the possibility of a degree
in that major.
I'm not so sure  Universities are that tough these days.

Unfortunately I know what B+ is.
 
We are getting old.

When I took FORTRAN, I had to use punch cards.

It was the lowest level programming language offered.  Since terminals were not always available, FORTRAN students were not allowed on them.

It was so bad sometimes, you had to put yourself on a waiting list at 3AM for a terminal.

One reason I had my Commodore 64 was to use as a dial-up terminal from off campus.  Not sure I'd have passed my 4 programming courses that last semester without it.

We were the last class to take FORTRAN. I think they transitioned to C after that. Can’t say I remember much from FORTRAN.

FORTRAN is FORmula TRANslator.
AKA "FORTRASH".
Punch cards were Hollerith cards invented by a soldier
in the civil war.
FORTRAN is really the IBM 360 machine code "Prettied up".
I read most programming languages like you read
the bible.
Every language has it's pluses and minuses.
I thank God I never had to make my living as
a coder. Although I've written 100's of thousands of lines of code.

When I started working, modeling software was by entering coordinates of segments of buildings, line walls. In big buildings, that was a lot of lines. Error checking that was a royal PITA.

I likely didn't like you guys who brought the grade curve up.
I failed Pascal. First language I learned was BASIC on a Timex Sinclair with a membrane keyboard. Was on sale at Longs for $99. Typing on a membrane sucked.

When I was commissioned (1984), the AWACS programming shop had just removed the last punch card writers.  Still had the readers for existing programs that weren't yet transferred to digital storage.

I spent my first 13 weeks on active duty at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS, taking classes on computer software design and implementation.  It was a watered down refresher of my 4 years in college.

We used punch cards (better than the models we used in school) and a Honeywell mainframe (close to my school's model). 

At my job, we used Fortran, COBOL JOVIAL and a Boeing-created variant of IBM assembler called 4PI Assembler, which of course executed on the airborne 4Pi computer.

My first position was in the Error Analysis and Recovery programming shop.  Basically, our code watched for hardware and software malfunctions and took action to isolate and either correct or take offline the offending component.  I still have flashbacks of the Hexadecimal Dumps I had to read every afternoon to analyze the hiccups that occurred inflight.

you guys ole. I remember only using punchcards as scratch paper in elementary school. That's how poor we were. Scratch paper with holes.

you guys ole. I remember only using punchcards as scratch paper in elementary school. That's how poor we were. Scratch paper with holes.

I've been known to breeze through the card punch room at school just to fish unpunched cards out of the trash or off the machines other students left behind.   

I also may have glued the punches back into a few cards that were barely used -- mostly typos that were tossed before the whole card was punched.

I believe there were 2 bundles of cards at the student store.  One was all new cards, and one was sort-of used.  The used cards had no punches, but had been used for note cards or other purposes and were about 30% less.  I normally used those for debugging, then ran a new set for final execution and grading.

I likely didn't like you guys who brought the grade curve up.
I failed Pascal. First language I learned was BASIC on a Timex Sinclair with a membrane keyboard. Was on sale at Longs for $99. Typing on a membrane sucked.

I likely didn't like you guys who brought the grade curve up.
I failed Pascal. First language I learned was BASIC on a Timex Sinclair with a membrane keyboard. Was on sale at Longs for $99. Typing on a membrane sucked.

I loved Pascal.  I really caught onto recursion quickly, which helped.  It was the language we had to use to program our Compiler project, where we actually programmed a compiler based on the professor's requirements.

I think a lot of these subjects hinged on how well the professor tried to explain things, rather than leaving it up to the students to figure out.

Nowadays with the Internet, it's magnitudes easier to learn.  I often wonder how much more we could have done in school with that amount of information and examples at our fingertips.

Uh, as someone who has extensive experience with Computer Aided Design, that’s not how CAD works. As well as someone who is very familiar with CNC machining, Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software (like Fusion 360) is what is needed. Or Computer Aided Engineering (CAE). The basis for that is the CAD file, as mentioned previously, but that is the template, not the sequence.

When being condescending, it usually helps to have the info correct.

I wasn't being condescending, I was trying to illustrate the difference between a program and a data file the program uses. Or am I mistaken, does a CNC machine not have the software and just runs whatever is on the file, including the program itself?


Imagine you had a piece of paper with instructions for someone to mill a piece of aluminum. It would look very different from a set of instructions to a 3D printing machine but in the end you could end up with essentially the same item. So if you can make a CAD file or a 3d printer file (whatever technical name they may have) be made illegal can you not also have it be illegal to tell someone how to mill out a piece of material to make a firearm? A computer file will tell the printer or mill to move left, right, up or down some distance then move along a certain axis a set distance. If I was at a mill and you stood over my shoulder telling me to move the piece 2mm to the right then 2mm down, the same thing is happening but instead of the instructions being on a computer file they are in your head or on a piece of paper.

So if they can ban a set of instructions for a computer, what stops them from banning a set of instructions for a person? Could they not then make it illegal to tell someone how to make a firearm altogether?

I wasn't being condescending, I was trying to illustrate the difference between a program and a data file the program uses.

Or am I mistaken, does a CNC machine not have the software and just runs whatever is on the file, including its own standalone program?

You get a "C-" on your answer/question/knowledge.

You're talking about CNC machines.  Before we were talking about 3D printers.  Is it your understanding the two are interchangeable?

In order for a CNC machine to properly operate, it must not only follow the design of the intended item to be formed, but it must also monitor the positioning and relative distance from the origin, as well as ensure the desired actions are within the parameters of what the machine is capable of.

CNC – Computer Numerical Control – Taking digitized data, a computer and CAM program is used to
control, automate, and monitor the movements of a machine. The machine can be a milling machine, lathe,
router, welder, grinder, laser or waterjet cutter, sheet metal stamping machine, robot, or many other types of
machines. For larger industrial machines, the computer is generally an on-board dedicated controller. But for
more hobbyist types of machines, or with some retrofits, the computer can be an external PC. The CNC controller
works together with a series of motors and drive components to move and control the machine axes, executing
the programmed motions. On the industrial machines there is usually a sophisticated feedback system that
constantly monitors and adjusts the cutter's speed and position.

So, any input data must be reviewed and possibly updated to be within the capabilities of any given CNC setup.

CAM – Computer Aided Machining or Manufacturing – Refers to the use of various software packages to create
toolpaths and NC code to run a CNC controlled machine, based on 3D computer model (CAD) data. When the
two are used together, this is generally referred to as CAD/CAM.

Note: CAM does not actually run the CNC machine, but just creates code for it to follow. It is also not an automatic
operation that imports your CAD model and spits out the correct NC code. CAM programming, like 3D modeling,
requires knowledge and experience in running the program, developing machining strategies, and knowing what
tools and operations to use in each situation to get the best results. While there are simple programs that for the
inexperienced user to get started without too much difficulty, more sophisticated models will take an investment in
time and money to become proficient.

I don't have the extensive CNC and design background as others here but this is what 3d printers that I work with (Lulzbot, Ultimaker and Shapeoko CNCs)  use
G-Code

example:
11 G1 F900 X197.600 Y29.900 E19.82400

11 →  Indicates the line of code and is used for reference

G -command

F → Speed

X/Y/Z → Coordinates

E → Feeder movement

So it is similar to a sentence. Tells the printer where and how to print. There are other commands for heat, temp, retraction speed, retraction length etc.

When I was commissioned (1984), the AWACS programming shop had just removed the last punch card writers.  Still had the readers for existing programs that weren't yet transferred to digital storage.

I spent my first 13 weeks on active duty at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS, taking classes on computer software design and implementation.  It was a watered down refresher of my 4 years in college.

We used punch cards (better than the models we used in school) and a Honeywell mainframe (close to my school's model). 

At my job, we used Fortran, COBOL JOVIAL and a Boeing-created variant of IBM assembler called 4PI Assembler, which of course executed on the airborne 4Pi computer.

My first position was in the Error Analysis and Recovery programming shop.  Basically, our code watched for hardware and software malfunctions and took action to isolate and either correct or take offline the offending component.  I still have flashbacks of the Hexadecimal Dumps I had to read every afternoon to analyze the hiccups that occurred inflight.

Flapp you will like this.
I spent 10 months at Kessler in 1973-74. Avionics repair school.
I graduated with a BS in Computer Science in 1990 and the USA tried to recruit me.
Dumb shits didn't realize I had already spent over 5 years in the USAF Vietnam era.
You are lucky you only had to deal with Hex dumps I had to deal with
binary core dumps on a DEC PDP8A at my job with an Aero space company.
I also helped certify AWACS OTAN aircraft.
Last but not least Ren,  PASCAL is probably my favorite
programming language.  Sorry you had trouble with it.
it really enforces strong "Type checking".
Since my Fort'e is real time software design
I'd use "C", assembly languages, or Micro code
for my projects.
CNC and Printers are a "Cake walk".



My first language was ASM 80. That is 8080 assembly language.

Flapp you will like this.
I spent 10 months at Kessler in 1973-74. Avionics repair school.
I graduated with a BS in Computer Science in 1990 and the USA tried to recruit me.
Dumb shits didn't realize I had already spent over 5 years in the USAF Vietnam era.
You are lucky you only had to deal with Hex dumps I had to deal with
binary core dumps on a DEC PDP8A at my job with an Aero space company.
I also helped certify AWACS OTAN aircraft.
Last but not least Ren,  PASCAL is probably my favorite
programming language.  Sorry you had trouble with it.
it really enforces strong "Type checking".
Since my Fort'e is real time software design
I'd use "C", assembly languages, or Micro code
for my projects.
CNC and Printers are a "Cake walk".



My first language was ASM 80. That is 8080 assembly language.

I never said I had a problem with PASCAL.  I only had a problem with the first professor who failed me rather than issue an incomplete.

I believe those were for Assembler/Machine language and COBOL.

I had 2 incomplete grades that same semester from other classes and made good final grades. 

My mistake for not predicting I'd have my apartment complex explode and have no place to live 3 days after I moved in.

you guys are old. 

you guys are old. 

And, your point?