Microsoft Invests in the University of Waterloo

saforrest writes "Say goodbye to independent academia. In a presentation by Microsoft on Wednesday at the University of Waterloo, a new joint initiative was announced which involves the addition of a mandatory course on C# for all electrical and computer engineers. 'Completion of this course will be mandatory for students entering the E&CE program.'" Microsoft's press release is available.

Comments

Where's the Problem?

[Pave Low]

You have a problem with this? Don't attend. Go to another school that doesn't require this. There are plenty that will do that.

The idea that Microsoft is killing academia is just ludicrous. Schools and Universities make deals like this for books, supplies, food, etc. all the time. It's a good deal for both sides.

So you Microsoft bashers don't get your tighty whites all in a bunch.

doesn't matter

[cr@ckwhore]

Doesn't matter, because US universities have been communist for quite some time now. I doubt microsoft will make a difference.

Java

[bsDaemon]

So microsoft gets a school to teach their language and ya'll are like "oh my god!?! Facist BASTARDS!!" What about all the schools that teach Java? Oh, I get it. Java != Microsfoft, there for Java != bad.

Honestly, what makes Linux people wanting world dominaation and forcing everyone to use Linux and the GPL any different than Microsoft, except there is much less money involved?

Re:Academic Integrity

[Succa]

Waterloo has no academic integrity. As someone who just graduated from UW's Comp Sci program two weeks ago, I can tell you that UW's once-esteemed CS program is starting to resemble a diploma factory. The university admins have increased their quota for industry-pandering by 1000% since I first joined the school. All of a sudden, perfectly good courses started getting tainted by the touch of Java (the AI course comes to mind, switching to Java because it "looks better on a resume" than Scheme), phasing out theory courses, and generally eliminating academic mainstays like Lisp, ML, and the like. And now C#? I'd heard this rumour quite some time ago, and I feared it would come true. Luckily it's only the Comp/Elec Eng program (which tends to focus on industry more than theory) affected; were MS forcing C# on Comp Sci students, the program would be reduced to a joke. I just hope my newly acquired degree doesn't become completely worthless in the next few years.

Re:At least C# is (probably) useful

[Zeinfeld]

Relevant to what? How much production code out there uses C#? How many people will still be programming in C# 20 years from now?

I would suspect that there is already more C# production code than Modula 3 code. Redmond has been using C# internally for quite a while.

Nobody raised any questions when comp sci courses chucked out Wirthless languaqges like pascal and Modula in favor of Java. And when it comes to proprietary control of a language only a complete slashweenie can pretend that Java is an open language when Sun uses the courts to enforce proprietary control.

C# does have one major feature that Java does not, meta data and reflection. Now those are not features that many programmers who have not used the Lisp machine are familiar with but it is a very powerful way to program.

The point is that in the past five years it has become possible to teach computer programming courses using languages that are both clean in design and relevant commercially. Modula and pascal were botched from start to finish.

Go to a real school

[MicroBerto]

Times like this make me happy I go to a fun and crazy school that worries more about football and enormous amounts of red tape :)

But then again, if my ECE dept did this, I guess I'd just suck it up and take the damned class..

But I'd speak up! That's what students need to do. At a school where students make their voices known, things get done more than in any other institution.

Re:Academic Integrity

[electricmonk]

I just hope my newly acquired degree doesn't become completely worthless in the next few years.

So, I guess you are coasting by in life with the skills and knowledge that you learned prior to college? I hope to God I never turn out like you.

--someone who will be entering college in a year

Your brain has a purpose.

[jotaeleemeese]

So don't be so disingenous pretending you are stupid.

1.- If everybody does the same (bribing Universities to forcefully spoonfed their own wares) that does not mean it is correct. If you have some information (your links provide none) then show it to us and I assure most people would feel as uncomfortable as with the case at hand.

2.- The choice of language is important, moron. It should be choosen based on academic and practical grounds (easy to learn, wide industry acceptance, accesibility for students at a reasonable price). It should not be choosen to pander to any company. Or at least that should be the case with any serious University.

3.- Academic freedom. No, I guess you haven't hear about that.