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Oops, forgot the source: http://uwstudent.org/article/2002/09/13/134115000

Because when Microsoft donates, there's always a catch. Here are two (totally unrelated) examples:

http://archive.uwstudent.org/story/9658
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/27878.html

I thought this was interesting. In particular. It gives MS's response to the "top ten questions" (does not seem to say whose top ten questions.

I thought these two points were VERY telling:

Q1) Since Microsoft, presumably, is simply encouraging the learning of ECMA standard C#, it should not matter whether the OS platform of the students is something other than Windows if another compliant C# platform exists and costs or other reasons U of W might have for using it make it attractive. Can Mr. Clegg assure U of W that Microsoft will not invalidate the agreement, or withdraw funding if C# is taught using Ximian Mono on Linux?

Frank Clegg (president of MS Canada): "The Microsoft Canada Co. sponsorship does require C# to be taught on a platform based on the Windows® operating system."

And question 6, which seems to me to concern academic freedom:

Q6: Your donation to the University of Waterloo in part funds curriculum development for ECE 050 and a curriculum change in ECE 150. As the curriculum change for ECE 150 did not require a change to course description it was not vetted through the Faculty Council or through the Senate Undergraduate Committee. This means that it affects the part of the curriculum usually understood to be the jurisdiction of the faculty member. Will Microsoft still provide UW with its donation if the professor for ECE 150 chooses to follow the course description without teaching C#? If it will not, how does Microsoft feel about compromising academic freedom at the university?

Frank Clegg: Funding for this curriculum initiative was decided based on the university's exploration of possibilities for sponsorship in the preparation of new curriculum material on C#. If the university decides not to teach C#, then there will not be a need to create any corresponding new material for which funding was initially allocated.

I hope the University gives these considerations due attention in their deliberations.

Can somebody with mod points boost the parent?

[OT] I feel the same way regarding the student's news
site writers/editors. I pray they aren't English
majors, while wishing they were.

I am seeing posts along the lines of "Waterloo has finally seen MS's dark side", or "Victory over Greed" etc etc...

But if you read another story on the same page (MS Canada President Frank Clegg responds to top ten questions), Clegg states quite frankly that it was Waterloo who first proposed the idea of C# as a teaching language. So this initiative did not come from MS.

At a forum organized by EngSoc, UW President Johnston said that mistakes were made in the announcement of a partnership with Microsoft Canada Co. "In retrospect, it was a mistake to announce an agreement in principle with respect to the curriculum initiatives, a mistake for which I take responsibility."...
Johnston described what will happen in the coming weeks. "What we will have to do over the next few weeks is ensure that the [sic] necessary for any curriculum change occurs, and that those committees, and, ultimately, the Senate that oversees them, are satisfied that the principles that we always must observe when external funding is involved in anything are followed in this case."

That looks like a few weeks, not a year, and it sounds like he wants a rubber stamp:

The MS-UW deal will be talked about at Monday's meeting of Senate, the the university's highest academic body. In early September, the President of UW's faculty association requested a "full airing" of the issue at Senate.

Additionally, MS Candada President Frank Clegg was specific about what the deal means to all 300 incoming freshmen:

The Microsoft Canada Co. sponsorship does require C# to be taught on a platform based on the Windows® operating system.

Replacing C++ for C# in freshmen courses should be worth the entire reputation of the school, far more than $5,000,000. My reputation is worth more than that!

At a forum organized by EngSoc, UW President Johnston said that mistakes were made in the announcement of a partnership with Microsoft Canada Co. "In retrospect, it was a mistake to announce an agreement in principle with respect to the curriculum initiatives, a mistake for which I take responsibility."...
Johnston described what will happen in the coming weeks. "What we will have to do over the next few weeks is ensure that the [sic] necessary for any curriculum change occurs, and that those committees, and, ultimately, the Senate that oversees them, are satisfied that the principles that we always must observe when external funding is involved in anything are followed in this case."

That looks like a few weeks, not a year, and it sounds like he wants a rubber stamp:

The MS-UW deal will be talked about at Monday's meeting of Senate, the the university's highest academic body. In early September, the President of UW's faculty association requested a "full airing" of the issue at Senate.

Additionally, MS Candada President Frank Clegg was specific about what the deal means to all 300 incoming freshmen:

The Microsoft Canada Co. sponsorship does require C# to be taught on a platform based on the Windows® operating system.

Replacing C++ for C# in freshmen courses should be worth the entire reputation of the school, far more than $5,000,000. My reputation is worth more than that!

From an older story on the same site:

Here's how the funding breaks down:

Tablet PC Research: $758K (cash)
Online Learning: $490K (cash)
MCS Resource (Project Management): $500K (in kind)

Concerning curriculum sponsorship, Microsoft intends to provide the university with $561K (cash) for the preparation of C# and distributed computing teaching material.

Perhaps MS is whoring the Waterloo students for Tablet PC research? Of course, it is noted that it is Microsoft's intention that the IP ownership remains at the university, but who knows if they will really uphold that.

Please note that uwstudent.org will be asking reader questions to the President of Microsoft Canada Frank Clegg. So post your questions on uwstudent.org. If for some reason you can't, post them under here and I'll check back to make sure they are considered. Thanks!

C# isn't by any stretch the best language to teach concerning the basics of computer programming

IMHO, neither is Java or C++.

My school switched a few years back from teaching first-year comp sci in Pascal, to Java. Why? Because Pascal is not a high-demand computer language, and Java is. The downside is that a student is immidiately confronted with object-oriented programming, without first learning the basics of structured programming.

According to UW's story, their introductory course was previously taught in C++ -- again, not the best language for beginners.

I think there's a tradeoff happening here between instructiveness and real-world usefulness. Certainly, C++, Java, and even C# are useful languages to know. However, languages designed for teaching, like Pascal, are probably still best for learning the basics of programming.

Also, I may point out that the article states that the new required course in C# is a "pre-university programming course". This sounds to me like something intended to give students a bit of an introduction to the technical aspects of programming, much like young students may learn some web page scripting before learning "real programming".

hey, at UWS we use open source/free software. :-) it's a LAMP box.

paul
(uws sysadmin type)

In addition to video games you can see it in other entertainment. Also in car magazines or electronics.

You should always make a judgement of the credibility of any information you receive.

Bb

-- where to go for University of Waterloo news

• Midnight Sun finishes third in ASC
• Midnight Sun VI living up to top five prediction
• New Midnight Sun on the rise (with photos)
• Midnight Sun rising on UW (and cover image)

Then there's the official Midnight Sun site.

Paul

• Midnight Sun finishes third in ASC
• Midnight Sun VI living up to top five prediction
• New Midnight Sun on the rise (with photos)
• Midnight Sun rising on UW (and cover image)

Then there's the official Midnight Sun site.

Paul

• Midnight Sun finishes third in ASC
• Midnight Sun VI living up to top five prediction
• New Midnight Sun on the rise (with photos)
• Midnight Sun rising on UW (and cover image)

Then there's the official Midnight Sun site.

Paul