My first "real" job was in a manufacturing environment, (before C++ and MFC was even a smile on someone's face), where numerically controlled machine tools produced parts for larger assemblies. Since each machine had a special set of codes that caused it to perform specific actions, there was a compiler that would translate the commands to create a part into the machine codes to control the machine. My job as a programmer was to "update" the compiler and make it work on the new computing platform that was being installed as part of the shop floor overhaul. The legacy code was written in FORTRAN IV, and we were also updating it to F77 on the new computer, in addition to cleaning up as much of the "bad" software as we could. Ever done string processing in FORTRAN? Ouch!! Since the new computer was much newer than the computer that ran the legacy code, there were some new options available for producing graphics, so I also developed a graphical display of the paths that the machines would follow given the codes that were produced from the compiler for the parts that were being made. Reviewing the graphics output saved the time and trouble of setting the machines up to create a test piece, to see if the part program was really correct. That was only my first job, and it lasted several years. Much of the experience, though, wasn't so much about programming as it was about manufacturing. The compiler and graphics software never stood on its own, but was an integral part of the manufacturing process. That process had to be understood to make the software fit in. Very good question, too, and I hope you get some good stories and insights. Dave "You can say that again." -- Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
