Prior to that my computing life began under NOS, a proprietary operating system which ran on Cyber 170- and 180-series mainframes from Control Data Corporation. (Yes, I've actually written programs in COMPASS. :-)
Although the bulk of the programming I do these days is in C (which is, after all, the language of choice for system-level work in Unix), my first programming language was FORTRAN 77 (though I've never actually used the COME FROM statement), followed by a computer science degree with courses done mostly using Pascal (I may be dating myself here :-). The flavour of that era is captured nicely in an article that appeared in Datamation magazine in 1983, entitled Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal.
(For a more general treatment of this topic, you may wish to consult the following broad comparisons of different programming languages and operating systems. :-)
Of course, my more recent master's degree in computer science mostly involved C, although there was a little LISP thrown in as well (and yes, the Gilbert and Sullivan reference is wholly intentional :-).
What this amounts to is that (apart from teaching on a part-time basis) I'm the manager of the group responsible for operating system support (ie, system administration) for all Unix systems owned or operated by Concordia's Department of Instructional and Information Technology.
I couldn't possibly survive in this position without the help and support of my colleagues, namely Sheila Ettinger, Tan Bui and Taow (Tony) Wang. All are truly wonderful both professionally and personally, and I'm uniquely fortunate to have the opportunity to work with them. (And no, you're not allowed to hire them away from here! :-)
The list of systems we look after often fluctuates, as new dedicated-purpose machines are acquired, or old ones decommissioned. However, here are some of the highlights:
- Alcor (alcor.concordia.ca)
- This is the principal public-access Unix machine at Concordia, providing 'Net access to more than 15,000 of our 30,000 students, faculty and staff members. The current (fourth generation :-) hardware implementation is an HP (formerly Compaq, formerly DEC :-) AlphaServer DS25 6/1000 with 2 CPUs, 10 Gb of memory and 200 Gb of disk.
- Aries (aries.concordia.ca)
- This machine is the database server for Concordia's financial and advancement information systems. The hardware is an AlphaServer ES40 with 2048 Mb of RAM (no, that's not the reason why it's called Aries :-) and 220 Gb of disk.
- Clyde (clyde.concordia.ca)
- Don't ask me why it's called Clyde, because it has no humps and probably wouldn't work very well in the desert. :-) The name was established long before IIT was asked to take it over back around 1987 or so. :-) Anyhow, Clyde is our primary DNS server, and one of four machines which collectively serve as our main mail relay. (The others are Bonnie, Capone and Dillinger.)
- Mercury (mercury.concordia.ca)
- This machine is the gateway into Concordia's libraries. To check it out (pun intended :-), look here.
- Welcome (welcome.concordia.ca)
- This system is the first one you'll encounter as a new student, since it's the one that runs our online admissions application system.