The Computer Science department of the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam is where I learned about programming.
In Pascal, as was usual in those years. Here my interest in compiler writing started, since there was a lot of work done on that subject there. Recursive descent down Wirth compilers, magic!
The first VU Pascal compiler was Pascal-U, initiated by van de Riet, based of course on Wirth’s portable Pascal compiler/interpreter.
Once this compiler was operational on a Unix PDP-11/45, a Pascal interpreter system was developed called BASIS, to help students do practical programming work.
Two Pascal compiler sources have been found by Stefano B. on archived tapes, with files sent out by the Computer Science department of the VU to other universities:
- Pascal-U July 1977 on tape https://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Applications/Usenix_77/ug091377.tar.gz
- Pascal-VU June 1980 on tape https://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Applications/Shoppa_Tapes/usenix_80_delaware.tar.gz
On the next pages details of these compilers can be found:
My personal story about the VU Pascal compilers and the time spent in the Computer Science department
In 1978 I choose to do Computer Science as part of my Math and Physics MSc study. I had some experience with a PDP-11 (with papertape, Fortran). And bought a KIM-1 SBC and did some assembler programming. But I wanted to be a professional programmer with a solid theoretical base. And that is what I found in the new and emerging CS faculty. I met Professor Reind van de Riet and enrolled in the program. Exams, a lot of practice with good support by the staff and a MSc as result!
Two educators there taught me about programming: Professor R.P. van de Riet, and, the then young and later so famous, Professor Andrew S. Tanenbaum. Jim van Keulen was excellent in judging the practical assignments. Professor van het Riet advised me to buy “Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs” by Niklaus Wirth. I learned so much from that book!
I wrote my first programs with BASIS, running on the PDP-11/60, typing on a DEC LA120 printer terminal. Still have some print out. Ruud Wiggers did most of the programming of the Basis system.
VU100
In March 1980 Professor van de Riet asked me to write an article for the VU100 Computerkrant, a publication for the computer show at the VU during the 100 year celebration of the University. about hobbycomputers, as I was his student and editor of the computer magazine Radio Bulletin.
