- New events added.

[mspang/www.git] / events.xml

<eventdefs>

  <!-- Winter 2003 -->

  <eventitem date="2003-02-04" time="4:30 PM" room="MC2037"
   title="Unix 101 Tutorial">
  <short>Learn Unix and be the envy of your friends!</short>
  <abstract> 

  <p>This is the first in a series of seminars that cover the use of the
  UNIX Operating System.  UNIX is used in a variety of applications, both
  in academia and industy. We will provide you with hands-on experience
  with the Math Faculty's UNIX environment in this seminar.</p> 

  <p>Topics that will be discussed include:</p>

  <ul>
  <li> Navigating the UNIX environment</li>
  <li> Using common UNIX commands</li>
  <li>Using the PICO text editor</li>
  <li>Reading electronic mail and news with PINE</li>
  </ul>

  <p>If you do not have a Math computer account, don't panic; one will be lent
  to you for the duration of this class.</p>  

  </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-02-11" time="4:30 PM" room="MC2037"
   title="Unix 102 Tutorial">
  <short>Learn more Unix and be the envy of your friends!</short>
  <abstract> 

  <p>Abstract to come soon.</p>

  </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-02-18" time="4:30 PM" room="MC2037"
   title="Unix 103 Tutorial">
  <short>Learn more Unix and be the envy of your friends!</short>
  <abstract> 

  <p>Abstract to come soon. </p>

  </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-01-13" time="6:00 PM" room="MC3001"
    title="W03 Elections">
    <short>Come out and vote for the new exec!</short>
   <abstract>

<p>This term's elections will take place on Monday, January 13 at 6:00 PM in the
MC "comfy lounge" (MC3001). Nominations are open from now on (Thursday,
January 2) until 4:30 PM of the day before elections (Sunday, January 12).
In order to nominate someone you can either e-mail me directly, by depositing
a form with the required information in the CSC mailbox in the Mathsoc office
or by writing the nomination and clearly marking it as such on the large
whiteboard in the CSC office. E-mail is probably the best choice.
Please include the name of the person to be nominated as well as the position
you wish to nominate them for.</p>

<p>Candidates must be full members of the club. This means they must have paid
their membership for the given term and (due to recent changes in the
constitution) must be full-time undergraduate math students.
The same requirements hold for those voting. Please bring your Watcard to
the elections so that I can verify this. I will have a list of members with
me also.</p>

<p>The positions open are:</p>

<p><b>President</b> -- appoints all commitees of the club, calls and presides at all
meetings of the club and audits the club's financial records. Really, this
is the person in charge.</p>

<p><b>Vice President</b> -- assumes President's duties in case he/she is absent,
plans and coordinates events with the programmes committee and assumes any
other duties delegated by the President.
This is a really fun job if you enjoy coordinating events!</p>

<p><b>Secretary</b> -- keeps minutes of the meetings and cares for any correspondence.
A fairly light job, good choice if you just want to see what being an exec
is all about.</p>

<p><b>Treasurer</b> -- maintains all the finances of the club.
If you like money and keeping records, this is the job for you!</p>

<p>Additionally a Systems Administrator will be picked by the new executive.</p>

<p>Last term was a great term for the CSC -- many events, some office renovations
and a much improved image were all part of it. I hope to see the next term's
exec continue this. If you're interested in seeing this happen, do consider
going for a position, or helping out as office staff or on one of the
committees.</p>

<p>Anyways, hopefully I'll see many of you at the elections.
Remember: Monday, January 13, 6:00 PM, MC3001/Comfy Lounge.</p>

<p>If you have any further questions don't hesitate to contact the CRO,
      Stefanus Du Toit <a href="mailto:sjdutoit@uwaterloo.ca">by e-mail</a>.</p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-01-23" time="6:30 PM" room="MC1085"
    title="Regular Expressions">
    <short>Find your perfect match</short>
    <abstract>

    <p>Stephen Kleene developed regular expressions to describe what he
    called <q>the algebra of regular sets.</q>  Since he was a pioneering
    theorist in computer science, Kleene's regular expressions soon made
    it into searching algorithms and from there to everyday tools.</p>

    <p>Regular expressions can be powerful tools to manipulate text.
    You will be introduced to them in this talk.  As well, we will go
    further than the rigid mathematical definition of regular
    expressions, and delve into POSIX regular expressions which are
    typically available in most Unix tools.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-01-30" time="6:30 PM" room="MC1085"
    title="sed &amp; awk">
    <short>Unix text editing</short>
    <abstract>

    <p><i>sed</i> is the Unix stream editor.  A powerful way to
    automatically edit a large batch of text.  <i>awk</i> is a
    programming language that allows you to manipulate structured data
    into formatted reports.</p>

    <p>Both of these tools come from early Unix, and both are still
    useful today.  Although modern programming languages such as Perl,
    Python, and Ruby have largely replaced the humble <i>sed</i> and
    <i>awk</i>, they still have their place in every Unix user's
    toolkit.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-02-06" time="6:30 PM" room="MC1085"
    title="LaTeX: A Document Processor">
    <short>Typesetting beautiful text</short>
    <abstract>

    <p>Unix was one of the first electronic typesetting platforms.  The
    innovative AT&amp;T <i>troff</i> system allowed researches at Bell
    Labs to generate high quality camera-ready proofs for their papers.
    Later, Donald Knuth invented a typesetting system called
    T<small>E</small>X, which was far superior to other typesetting
    systems in the 1980s.  However, it was still a typesetting language,
    where one had to specify exactly how text was to be set.</p>

    <p>L<sup><small>A</small></sup>T<small>E</small>X is a macro package
    for the T<small>E</small>X system that allows an author to describe
    his document's function, thereby typesetting the text in an
    attractive and correct way.  In addition, one can define semantic
    tags to a document, in order to describe the meaning of the
    document; rather than the layout.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-02-13" time="6:30 PM" room="MC1085"
    title="LaTeX: Reports">
    <short>Writing reports that look good.</short>
    <abstract>

    <p>Work term reports, papers, and other technical documents can be
    typeset in L<sup><small>A</small></sup>T<small>E</small>X to great
    effect.  In this session, I will provide examples on how to typeset
    tables, figures, and references.  You will also learn how to make
    tables of contents, bibliographics, and how to create footnotes.</p>

    <p> I will also examine various packages of 
    L<sup><small>A</small></sup>T<small>E</small>X that can help you 
    meet requirements set by users of inferior typesetting systems.  
    These include double-spacing, hyphenation and specific margin 
    sizes.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-02-20" time="6:30 PM" room="MC1085"
    title="LaTeX: Beautiful Mathematics">
    <short>LaTeX =&gt; fun</short>
    <abstract>

    <p>It is widely acknowledged that the best system by which to
    typeset beautiful mathematics is through the T<small>E</small>
    typesetting system, written by Donald Knuth in the early 1980s.</p>

    <p>In this talk, I will demonstrate
    L<sup><small>A</small></sup>T<small>E</small>X and how to typeset
    elegant mathematical expressions.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-02-27" time="6:00 PM" room="MC1085"
    title="The BSD License Family">
    <short>Free for all</short>
    <abstract>

    <p>Before the GNU project ever existed, before the phrase
    "Free Software" was ever coined, students and researchers
    at the University of California, Berkeley were already
    practising it.  They had acquired the source cdoe to a
    little-known operating system developed at AT&amp;T
    Bell Laboratories, and were creating improvments at a
    ferocious rate.</p>

    <p>These improvements were sent back to Bell Labs, and
    shared to other Universities.  Each of them were licensed
    under what is now known as the "Original BSD license".  Find
    out what this license means, its implications, and what are
    its decendents by attending this short talk.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-02-27" time="6:30 PM" room="MC1085"
    title="The GNU General Public License">
    <short>The teeth of Free Software</short>
    <abstract>

    <div style="font-style: italic"><blockquote>
      The licenses for most software are designed to take away your
      freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General
      Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and
      change free software---to make sure the software is free for all
      its users.
      <br />
      <div style="text-align:right">--- Excerpt from the GNU GPL</div>
    </blockquote></div>
    
    <p> The GNU General Public License is one of the most influencial
    software licenses in this day.  Written by Richard Stallman for the
    GNU Project, it is used by software developers around the world to
    protect their work.</p>

    <p>Unfortunately, software developers do not read licenses
    thoroughly, nor well.  In this talk, we will read the entire GNU GPL
    and explain the implications of its passages.  Along the way, we
    will debunk some myths and clarify common misunderstandings.</p>

    <p>After this session, you ought to understand what the GNU GPL
    means, how to use it, and when you cannot use it.  This session
    should also give you some insight into the social implications of
    this work.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-03-13" time="6:30 PM" room="MC1085"
    title="XML">
    <short>Give your documents more markup</short>
    <abstract>

    <p>XML is the <q>eXtensible Markup Language,</q> a standard
    maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium.  A descendant of IBM's
    SGML.  It is a metalanguage which can be used to define markup
    languages for semantically describing a document.</p>

    <p>This talk will describe how to generate correct XML documents,
    and auxillary technologies that work with XML.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-03-20" time="6:30 PM" room="MC1085"
    title="XSLT">
    <short>Transforming your documents</short>
    <abstract>

    <p>XSLT is the <q>eXtended Stylesheet Language Transformations,</q>
    a language for transforming XML documents into other XML
    documents.</p>

    <p>XSLT is used to manipulate XML documents into other forms: a sort
    of glue between data formats.  It can turn an XML document into an
    XHTML document, or even an HTML document.  With a little bit of
    hackery, it can even be convinced to spit out non-XML conforming
    documents.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-03-24" time="8:00 PM" 
    room="Humanities Theatre, Hagey Hall"
    title="Judy, or What Is It Like To Be A Robot?">
    <short>Held in co-operation with the UW Cognitive Science Club</short>
    <abstract>

    <p>A lot of claims have been made lately about the intelligence of 
    computers.  Some researchers say that computers will eventually attain 
    super-human intelligence.  Others call thse claims... um, poppycock.  
    Oddly enough, in the search for the truth of the matter, both camps 
    have overlooked an obvious strategy: interviewing a computer and asking 
    her opinion.</p>

    <p>"Judy is as much fun as a barrel of wind-up cymbal-monkeys, and 
    lots more entertaining." --- Bill Rodriguez, <i>Providence Phoenix</i></p>

    <p>"Tom Sgouros's witty play, co-starring the charming robot Judy, is an
    imagination stretcher that delights while it exercises your mind.  If you
    think you can't imagine a conscious robot, you're wrong---you can,
    especially once you've met Judy." --- Daniel C. Dennett,
    author of <i>Consciousness Explained</i>, <i>Brainchildren</i>,
    &amp;c.</p>

    <p>"...an engrossing evening...  Real questions about 
    consciousness, freedom to act, the relationship between the creator 
    and the created are woven into a bravura performance." --- Will 
    Stackman, <i>Aislesay.com</i></p>

    <p>Sponsored by the Mathematics Society, the Federation of Students, the
    Arts Student Union, the Graduate Student Association, and the Department of
    Philosophy. Tickets available at the Humanities box office (888-4908) and
    the offices of the Psychology Society and the Computer Science Club for
    $5.50.  For
    more information: <a
    href="http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/cogsci/">http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/cogsci</a>.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-03-25" time="4:30 PM" room="MC2065"
    title="Stream Processing">
    <short></short>
    <abstract>

    <p>Stream processing is an enhanced version of SIMD processing that
    permits efficient execution of conditionals and iteration.  Stream
    processors have many similarities to GPUs, and a hardware prototype,
    the Imagine processor, has been used to implement both OpenGL and
    Renderman.</p>

    <p>It is possible that GPUs will acquire certain properties
    of stream processors in the future, which should make them easier
    to use and more efficient for general-purpose computation that includes
    data-dependent iteration and conditionals.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-03-26" time="6:00 PM" room="MC2065"
    title="Abusing the C++ Compiler">
    <short>Abusing template metaprogramming in C++</short>
    <abstract>

    <p>Templates are a useful feature in C++ when it comes to writing
    type-independent data structures and algorithms.  But that's not all
    they can be used for.  Essentially, it is possible to write certain
    programs in C++ that execute completely at compile-time rather
    than run-time.  Combined with some optimisations this is an interesting
    twist on regular C++ programming.</p>

    <p>This talk will give a short overview of the features of templates
    and then go on to describe how to "abuse" templates to perform complex
    computations at compile time. The speaker will present three programs of
    increasing complexity which execute at compile time. First a factorial
    listing program, then a prime listing program will be presented. Finally
    the talk will conclude with the presentation of a <i>Mandelbrot
    generator running at compile time.</i></p>

    <p>Some basic knowledge of C++ will be assumed.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2003-03-27" time="6:30 PM" room="MC1085"
    title="SSH and Networks">
    <short>Once more into the breach</short>
    <abstract>

    <p>The Secure Shell (SSH) has now replaced traditional remote login
    tools such as <i>rsh</i>, <i>rlogin</i>, <i>rexec</i> and
    <i>telnet</i>.  It is used to provide secure, authenticated,
    encrypted communications between remote systems.  However, the SSH
    protocol provides for much more than this.</p>

    <p>In this talk, we will discuss using SSH to its full extent.  Topics
    to be covered include:</p>
    <ul>
      <li>Remote logins</li>
      <li>Remote execution</li>
      <li>Password-free authentication</li>
      <li>X11 forwarding</li>
      <li>TCP forwarding</li>
      <li>SOCKS tunnelling</li>
    </ul>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <!-- Fall 1994 -->
        <eventitem
         date="1994-09-13" time="9:00 PM"
         room="Princess Cinema"
         title="Movie Outing: Brainstorm">
                <short>
                        No description available.
                </short>
                <abstract>
                        <p>
                        The first of this term's CSC social events, we will be going to see
                        the movie ``Brainstorm'' at the Princess Cinema. This outing is
                        intended primarily for the new first-year students.
                        </p>
                        <p>
                        The Princess Cinema is Waterloo's repertoire theatre. This month
                        and next, they are featuring a ``Cyber Film Festival''. Upcoming
                        films include:
                        </p>
                        <ul>
                                <li>Brazil</li>
                                <li>Bladerunner (director's cut)</li>
                                <li>2001: A Space Odyssey</li>
                                <li>Naked Lunch</li>
                        </ul>
                        <p>
                        Admission is $4.25 for a Princess member, $7.50 for a non-member.
                        Membership to the Princess is $7.00 per year. 
                        </p>
                </abstract>
        </eventitem>
        <eventitem
         date="1994-09-16" time="4:30 PM"
         room="MC 4040"
         title="CSC Elections">
                <short>No description available</short>
                <abstract>No abstract available</abstract>
        </eventitem>
        <eventitem
         date="1994-09-19" time="4:30 PM"
         room="MC 3022"
         title="UNIX I Tutorial">
                <short>No description available</short>
                <abstract>No abstract available</abstract>
        </eventitem>
        <eventitem
         date="1994-09-21" time="6:30 PM"
         room="DC 1302"
         title="SIGGRAPH Video Night">
                <short>No description available</short>
                <abstract>No abstract available</abstract>
        </eventitem>
        <eventitem
         date="1994-09-22" time="4:30 PM"
         room="MC 3022"
         title="UNIX I Tutorial">
                <short>No description available</short>
                <abstract>No abstract available</abstract>
        </eventitem>
        <eventitem
         date="1994-09-26" time="4:30 PM"
         room="MC 3022"
         title="UNIX II Tutorial">
                <short>No description available</short>
                <abstract>No abstract available</abstract>
        </eventitem>
        <eventitem
         date="1994-10-13" time="5:00 PM"
         room="DC 1302"
         title="Prograph: Picture the Future">
                <short>No description available</short>
                <abstract>
                        <p>
                        What is the next step in the evolution of computer languages?
                        Intelligent agents? Distributed objects? or visual languages?
                        </p>
                        <p>
                        Visual languages overcome many of the drawbacks and limitations
                        of the textual languages that software development is based on
                        today. Do you think about programming in a linear fashion? Or do
                        you draw a mental picture of your algorithm and then linearize it
                        for the benefit of your compiler? Wouldn't it be nice if you could
                        code the same way you think?
                        </p>
                        <p>
                        Visual C++ and Visual BASIC aren't visual languages, but Prograph
                        is. Prograph is a commercially available, visual, object-oriented,
                        data-flow language. It is well suited to graphical user interface
                        development, but is as powerful for general-purpose programming as
                        any textual language.
                        </p>
                        <p>
                        The talk will comprise a discussion of the problems of textual
                        languages that visual languages solve, a live demonstration of
                        Prograph, and some of my observations of the applications of
                        Prograph to software development.
                        </p>
                </abstract>
        </eventitem>
        <eventitem
         date="1994-10-15" time="10:00 AM"
         room="MC 3022"
         title="ACM-Style Programming Contest">
                <short>No description available</short>
                <abstract>
                        <h3>Big Money and Prizes!</h3>
                        <p>
                        So you think you're a pretty good programmer? Pit your skills
                        against others on campus in this triannual event! Contestants will
                        have three hours to solve five programming problems in either C or
                        Pascal.
                        </p>
                        <p>
                        Last fall's winners went on to the International Finals and came
                        first overall! You could be there, too!
                        </p>
                </abstract>
        </eventitem>
        <eventitem
         date="1994-10-20" time="4:30 PM"
         room="MC 3009"
         title="Exploring the Internet">
                <short>No description available</short>
                <abstract>
                        <h3>Need something to do between assignments/beers?</h3>
                        <p>
                         Did you know that your undergrad account at Waterloo gives you
                         access tothe world's largest computer network? With thousands
                         of discussion groups, gigabytes of files to download, multimedia
                         information browsers, even on-line entertainment?
                        </p>
                        <p>
                        The resources available on the Internet are vast and wondrous, but
                        the tools for navigating it are sometimes confusing and arcane. In
                        this hands-on tutorial you will get the chance to get your feet wet
                        with the world's most mind-bogglingly big computer network, the
                        protocols and programs used, and how to use them responsibly and
                        effectively. 
                        </p>
                </abstract>
        </eventitem>
        <eventitem
         date="1994-11-02" time="4:30 PM"
         room="MC 2038"
         title="Game Theory">
                <short>No description available</short>
                <abstract>
                        <h3>From the Minimax Theorem, through Alpha-Beta, and beyond...</h3>
                        <p>
                         This will be a descussion of the pitfalls of using mathematics and
                         algorithms to play classical board games. Thorough descriptions
                         shall be presented of the simple techniques used as the building
                         blocks that make all modern computer game players. I will use
                         tic-tac-toe as a control for my arguements. Other games such as
                         Chess, Othello and Go shall be the be a greater measure of progress;
                         and more importantly the targets of our dreams.
                         </p>
                        <p>
                         To enhance the discussion of the future, Barney Pell's Metagamer
                         shall be introduced. His work in define classes of games is
                         important in identifying the features necessary for analysis. 
                         </p>
                </abstract>
        </eventitem>

  <!-- Fall 1999 -->

  <eventitem date="1999-10-18" time="2:30 PM" room="DC1304"
  title="Living Laboratories: The Future Computing Environments at
  Georgia Tech">
    <short>By Blair MacIntyre and Elizabeth Mynatt</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>by   Blair MacIntyre and Elizabeth Mynatt</p>
      <p>The Future Computing Environments (FCE) Group at Georgia Tech
        is a collection of faculty and students that share a desire to
        understand the partnership between humans and technology that
        arises as computation and sensing become ubiquitous.  With
        expertise covering the breadth of Computer Science, but
        focusing on HCI, Computational Perception, and Machine
        Learning, the individual research agendas of the FCE faculty
        are grounded in a number of shared "living laboratories" where
        their research is applied to everyday life in the classroom
        (Classroom 2000), the home (the Aware Home), the office
        (Augmented Offices), and on one's person.  Professors
        MacIntyre and Mynatt will discuss a variety of these projects,
        with an emphasis on the HCI and Computer Science aspects of
        the FCE work.
      </p>
      <p>
        In addition to their affiliation with the FCE group,
        Professors Mynatt and MacIntyre are both members of the
        Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center (GVU) at Georgia
        Tech.  This interdisciplinary center brings together research
        in computer science, psychology, industrial engineering,
        architecture and media design by examining the role of
        computation in our everyday lives.  During the talk, they will
        touch on some of the research and educational opportunities
        available at both GVU and the College of Computing.
      </p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="1999-10-19" time="4:30 PM" room="DC1304"
  title="GDB, Purify Tutorial">
    <short>No description available.</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>
       Debugging can be the most difficult and time consuming part of
       any program's life-cycle. Far from an exact science, it's more
       of an art ... and close to some kind of dark magic. Cryptic
       error messages, lousy error checking, and icky things like
       implicit casts can make it nearly impossible toknow what's
       going on inside your program.
      </p>
      <p>
         Several tools are available to help automate your
         debuggin. GDB and Purify are among the most powerful
         debugging tools available in a UNIX environment. GDB is an
         interactive debugger, allowing you to `step' through
         aprogram, examine function calls, variable contents, stack
         traces and let you look at the state of a program after it
         crashes. Purify is a commercial program designed to help find
         and remove memory leaks from programs written inlanguages
         without automatic garbage collection.
      </p>
      <p>
        This talk will cover how to compile your C and C++ programs
        for use with GDB and Purify, as well as how to use the
        available X interfaces. If a purify license is available on
        undergrad at the time of the talk, we will cover how to use it
        during runtime.
      </p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="1999-12-01" time="4:30 PM" room="MC2066"
    title="Homebrew Processors and Integrated Systems in FPGAs">
    <short>By Jan Gray</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>by Jan Gray</p>
      
      <p> With the advent of large inexpensive field-programmable gate
      arrays and tools it is now practical for anyone to design and
      build custom processors and systems-on-a-chip. Jan will discuss
      designing with FPGAs, and present the design and implementation
      of xr16, yet another FPGA-based RISC computer system with
      integrated peripherals.</p>

      <p> Jan is a past CSC pres., B.Math. CS/EEE '87, and wrote
      compilers, tools, and middleware at Microsoft from 1987-1998. He
      built the first 32-bit FPGA CPU and system-on-a-chip in
      1995. </p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="1999-12-01" time="7:00 PM" room="Golf's Steakhouse"
    title="Ctrl-D">
    <short>End-of-term dinner</short> 
    <abstract>
      No abstract available.
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="1999-12-02" time="1:30 PM" room="DC1302"
    title="Calculational Mathematics">
    <short>By Edgar Dijkstra</short>
    <abstract>
      <p> By Edgar Dijkstra</p>

      <p> This  talk will use  partial orders, lattice theory,  and, if
      time permits,  the Galois  connection as carriers  to illustrate
      the use of  calculi in mathematics. We hope  to show the brevity
      of  many calculations  (in order  tofight the  superstition that
      formal  proofs  are  necessarily  unpractically long),  and  the
      strong   heuristic  guidance   that  is   available   for  their
      design. </p>

      <p> Dijkstra is known for early graph-theoretical algorithms,
      the first implementation of ALGOL 60, the first operating system
      composed of explicitly synchronized processes, the invention of
      guarded commands and of predicate transformers as a means for
      defining semantics, and programming methodology in the broadest
      sense of the word. </p>

      <p> His current research interests focus on the formal
      derivation of proofs and programs, and the streamlining of the
      mathematical argument in general.</p>
     
      <p> Dijkstra held the Schlumberger Centennial Chair in Computer
      Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin until retiring in
      October. </p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="1999-12-03" time="10:00 AM" room="Siegfried Hall,
  St Jerome's" title="Proofs and Programs">
    <short>By Edsger Dijkstra</short>
    <abstract>
      <p> This talk will show the use of programs for the proving of
      theorems. Its purpose is to show how our experience gained in
      the derivations of programs might be transferred to the
      derivation of proofs in general. The examples will go beyond the
      (traditional) existence theorems. </p>

      <p> Dijkstra is known for early graph-theoretical algorithms,
      the first implementation of ALGOL 60, the first operating system
      composed of explicitly synchronized processes, the invention of
      guarded commands and of predicate transformers as a means for
      defining semantics, and programming methodology in the broadest
      sense of the word. </p>

      <p> His current research interests focus on the formal
      derivation of proofs and programs, and the streamlining of the
      mathematical argument in general.</p>
     
      <p> Dijkstra held the Schlumberger Centennial Chair in Computer
      Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin until retiring in
      October. </p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="1999-12-03" time="3:00 PM" room="DC1351"
    title="Open Q&amp;A session">
    <short>By Edsger Dijkstra</short>
    <abstract>No description available.</abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <!-- Winter 2000 -->

  <eventitem date="2000-03-24" time="4:30 PM" room="DC1304"
  title="Enterprise Java APIs and Implementing a Web Portal">
    <short>No description available.</short>
    <abstract>
      <h3>by Floyd Marinescu
      </h3>
      
      <p>
        The first talk will be an introduction to the Enterprise Java
        API's: Servlets, JSP, EJB, and how to use them to build
        eCommerce sites.
      </p>

      <p>
        The second talk will be about how these technologies were used
        to implement a real world portal.  The talk will include an
        overview of the design patterns used and will feature
        architectural information about the yet to be release portal
        (which I am one of the developers) called theserverside.com.
      </p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2000-03-30" time="4:30 PM" room="DC1304"
    title="Enterprise Java APIs and Implementing a Web Portal (1)">
    <short>No description available.</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>Real World J2EE - Design Patterns and architecture behind the
        yet to be released J2EE portal: theserverside.com</p>

      <p>This talk will feature an exclusive look at the architecture
        behind the new J2EE portal: theserverside.com.  Join Floyd
        Marinescu in a walk-through ofthe back-end of the portal,
        while learning about J2EE and its real world patterns,
        applications, problems and benefits.</p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <!-- Spring 2000 -->

  <eventitem date="2000-07-20" time="7:00 PM" room="Ali Babas Steak
  House, 130 King Street S, Waterloo" title="Ctrl-D">
    <short>End-of-term dinner</short>
    <abstract>No abstract available.</abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <!-- Fall 2000 -->

  <eventitem date="2000-09-14" time="6:00 PM" room="DC1302"
    title="CSC Elections">
    <short>Fall 2000 Elections for the CSC.</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>
        Would you like to get involved in the CSC? Would you like to have a
        say in what the CSC does this term?  Come out to the CSC Elections!
        In addition to electing the executive for the Fall term, we will be
        appointing office staff and other positions.  Look for details in
        uw.csc.
      </p>

      <p>Nominations for all positions are being taken in the CSC office, MC
        3036.</p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2000-09-14" time="7:00 PM" room="DC1302"
    title="SIGGraph Video Night">
    <short> SIGGraph Video Night Featuring some truly awesome computer
    animations from Siggraph '99. </short>
    <abstract>
      <p> Interested in Computer Graphics?
      </p>
      
      <p> Enjoy watching state-of-the-art Animation?
      </p>
      
      <p> Looking for a cheap place to take a date?
      </p>
      
      <p> SIGGraph Video Night -
        Featuring some truly awesome computer animations from Siggraph '99.
      </p>

      <p>Come out for the Computer Science Club general elections at 6:00
        pm, right before SIGGraph!</p>
      </abstract>
  </eventitem>

 <eventitem date="2000-09-25" time="2:30 PM" room="DC1302"
    title="Realising the Next Generation Internet">
    <short>By Frank Clegg of Microsoft Canada</short>
    <abstract>
<h3>Vitals</h3>
<dl>
<dt>By</dt>
<dd>Frank Clegg</dd>
<dd>President, Microsoft Canada</dd>
<dt>Date</dt>

<dd>Monday, September 25, 2000</dd>
<dt>Time</dt>
<dd>14:30 - 16:00</dd>
<dt>Place</dt>
<dd>DC 1302</dd>
<dd>(Davis Centre, Room 1302, University of Waterloo)</dd>

<dt>Cost</dt>
<dd>$0.00</dd>
<dt>Pre-registration</dt>
<dd>Recommended</dd>
<dd><a HREF="http://infranet.uwaterloo.ca:81/infranet/semform.htm">http://infranet.uwaterloo.ca:81/infranet/semform.htm</a></dd>
<dd>(519) 888-4004</dd>

</dl>

<h3>Abstract</h3>
<p>The Internet and the Web have revolutionized our communications, our access
to information and our business methods. However, there is still much room 
for improvement. Frank Clegg will discuss Microsoft's vision for what is 
beyond browsing and the dotcom. Microsoft .NET (pronounced "dot-net") is a 
new platform, user experience and set of advanced software services planned 
to make all devices work together and connect seamlessly. With this next 
generation of software, Microsoft's goal is to make Internet-based 
computing and communications easier to use, more personalized, and more 
productive for businesses and consumers. In his new position of president 
of Microsoft Canada Co., Frank Clegg will be responsible for leading the 
organization toward the delivery of Microsoft .NET. He will speak about 
this new platform and the next generation Internet, how software developers 
and businesses will be able to take advantage of it, and what the .NET 
experience will look like for consumers and business users.</p>

<h3>The Speaker</h3>
<p>Frank Clegg was appointed president of Microsoft Canada Co. this month. 
Prior to his new position, Mr. Clegg was vice-president, Central Region, 
Microsoft Corp. from 1996 to 2000. In this capacity, he was responsible for 
sales, support and marketing activities in 15 U.S. states. Mr. Clegg joined 
Microsoft Corp. in 1991 and headed the Canadian subsidiary until 1996. 
During that time, Mr. Clegg was instrumental in introducing several key 
initiatives to improve company efficiency, growth and market share. Mr. 
Clegg graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1977 with a B. Math.</p>

<h3>For More Information</h3>
<address>
Shirley Fenton<br />
The infraNET Project<br />
University of Waterloo<br />
519-888-4567 ext. 5611<br />
<a HREF="http://infranet.uwaterloo.ca/">http://infranet.uwaterloo.ca/</a>
</address>
      </abstract>
  </eventitem>


 <!-- Winter 2001 -->

 <eventitem date="2001-01-15" time="4:30 PM" room="MC3036"
    title="Executive elections">
  <short>Winter 2001 CSC Elections.</short>
  <abstract>
      <p>Would you like to get involved in the CSC? Would you like to
        have a say in what the CSC does this term? Come out to the CSC
        Elections! In addition to electing the executive for the
        Winter term, we will be appointing office staff and other
        positions. Look for details in uw.csc.
      </p>
      <p>
        Nominations for all positions are being taken in the CSC
        office, MC 3036.
      </p>
    </abstract>
 </eventitem>
  <eventitem date="2001-01-22" time="3:30 PM" room="MC3036"
    title="Meeting #2">
    <short>Second CSC meeting for Winter 2001.</short>
    <abstract>
      <h3>Proposed agenda</h3>
      <dl>
        <dt>Book purchases</dt>
        <dd>
          <p>They haven't been done in 2 terms.
            We have an old list of books to buy.
            Any suggestions from uw.csc are welcome.</p>
        </dd>
        <dt>CD Burner</dt>
        
        <dd>
          <p>For doing linux burns. It was allocated money on the budget
            request - about $300. We should be able to get a decent 12x
            burner with that (8x rewrite).</p>
          <p>The obvious things to sell are Linux Distros and BSD variants.
            Are there any other software that we can legally burn and sell
            to students?</p>
        </dd>
        <dt>Unix talks</dt>
        <dd>
          <p>Just a talk of the topics to be covered, when, where, whatnot.
            Mike was right on this one, this should have been done earlier
     in the term.  Oh well, maybe we can fix this for next fall term.</p>
          
        </dd>
        <dt>Game Contest</dt>
        <dd>
          <p>We already put a bit of work into planning the Othello contest
            before I read Mike's post. I still think it's viable. I've got
            at least 2 people interested in writing entries for it. This
            will be talked about more on monday. Hopefully, Rory and I will
            be able to present a basic outline of how the contest is going
            to be run at that time.</p>
        </dd>
        <dt>Peri's closet cleaning</dt>
        <dd>
          
          <p>Current sysadmin (jmbeverl) and I (kvijayan) and
            President (geduggan) had a nice conversation about this 2
            days ago, having to do with completely erasing all of
            peri, installing a clean stable potato debian on it, and
            priming it for being a gradual replacement to calum. We'll
            probably discuss how much we want to get done on this
            front on Monday.</p>
        </dd>
      </dl>
      
      <p>Any <a HREF="nntp://news.math.uwaterloo.ca/uw.csc/8305">comments</a> from <a HREF="news:uw.csc">the newsgroup</a> are welcome.</p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2001-01-27" time="10:30 AM" room="MC3006"
    title="ACM-Style programming contest">
    <short>Practice for the ACM international programming
    contest</short>
    <abstract>
<p>Our ACM-Style practice  contests involve answering five questions in three
hours.   Solutions are written  in Pascal, C  or C++.   Seven years in  a row,
Waterloo's teams  have been in  the top ten  at the world  finals.
For more information, see
<a HREF="http://plg.uwaterloo.ca/~acm00/">the contest web page</a>.</p>

<h3>Easy Question:</h3>
<p>A palindrome is a sequence of letters that reads the same backwards and
forwards, such as ``Madam, I'm Adam'' (note that case doesn't matter and
only letters are important). Your task is to find the longest palindrome in
a line of text (if there is a tie, print the leftmost one).</p>
<pre>
Input:                              Output:

asfgjh12dsfgg kj0ab12321BA wdDwkj   abBA
abcbabCdcbaqwerewq                  abCdcba
</pre>

<h3>Hard Question:</h3>
<p>An anagram is a word formed by reordering the letters of another word.
Find all sets of anagrams that exist within a large dictionary.  The
input will be a sorted list of words (up to 4000 words), one per line.
Output each set of anagrams on a separate line.  Each set should be
in alphabetical order, and all lines of sets should be in alphabetical
order.  A word with no anagrams is a set of anagrams itself, and should
be displayed with no modifications.</p>

<pre>
Input:      Output:

post        post pots stop
pots        start
start
stop
</pre>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2001-01-29" time="02:39 PM" room="MC3036"
    title="Meeting #3">
    <short>No description available.</short>
    <abstract>No abstract available.</abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2001-02-05" time="03:30 PM" room="MC3036"
    title="Meeting #4">
    <short>No description available.</short>
    <abstract>No abstract available.</abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2001-02-12" time="03:30 PM" room="MC3036"
    title="Meeting #5">
    <short>No description available.</short>
    <abstract>No abstract available.</abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <!-- Spring 2001 -->

  <eventitem date="2001-06-02" time="10:30 AM" room="MC3006"
    title="ACM-Style programming contest">
    <short>Practice for the ACM international programming
    contest</short>
    <abstract>
<p>Our ACM-Style practice  contests involve answering five questions in three
hours.   Solutions are written  in Pascal, C  or C++.   Seven years in  a row,
Waterloo's teams  have been in  the top ten  at the world  finals.
For more information, see
<a HREF="http://plg.uwaterloo.ca/~acm00/">the contest web page</a>.</p>

<h3>Easy Question:</h3>
<p>A palindrome is a sequence of letters that reads the same backwards and
forwards, such as ``Madam, I'm Adam'' (note that case doesn't matter and
only letters are important). Your task is to find the longest palindrome in
a line of text (if there is a tie, print the leftmost one).</p>
<pre>
Input:                              Output:

asfgjh12dsfgg kj0ab12321BA wdDwkj   abBA
abcbabCdcbaqwerewq                  abCdcba
</pre>

<h3>Hard Question:</h3>
<p>An anagram is a word formed by reordering the letters of another word.
Find all sets of anagrams that exist within a large dictionary.  The
input will be a sorted list of words (up to 4000 words), one per line.
Output each set of anagrams on a separate line.  Each set should be
in alphabetical order, and all lines of sets should be in alphabetical
order.  A word with no anagrams is a set of anagrams itself, and should
be displayed with no modifications.</p>

<pre>
Input:      Output:

post        post pots stop
pots        start
start
stop
</pre>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>


 <!-- Winter 2002 -->

 <eventitem date="2002-01-26" time="2:00 PM"
  room="Comfy Lounge MC3001" 
  title="An Introduction to GNU Hurd">
  <short>Bored of GNU/Linux? Try this experimental operating
  system!</short>
  <abstract>
<p>GNU Hurd is an operating system kernel based on the microkernel
architecture design. It was the original GNU kernel, predating Linux,
and is still being actively developed by many volunteers.</p>
<p>The Toronto-area Hurd Users Group, in co-operation with the Computer
Science Club, is hosting an afternoon to show the Hurd to anyone
interested. Jeff Bailey, a Hurd developer, will give a presentation on
the Hurd, followed by a GnuPG/PGP keysigning party. To finish it off,
James Morrison, also a Hurd developer, will be hosting a Debian
GNU/Hurd installation session.</p>
<p>All interested are invited to attend. Bring your GnuPG/PGP fingerprint
and mail your key to sjdutoit@uwaterloo.ca with the subject
``keysigning'' (see separate announcement).</p>
<p>Questions? Suggestions? Contact <a
href="ja2morri@uwaterloo.ca">James Morrison</a>.</p>
  </abstract>
 </eventitem>
 <eventitem date="2002-01-26" time="2:30 PM"
  room="Comfy Lounge MC3001" 
  title="GnuPG/PGP Keysigning Party">
  <short>Get more signatures on your key!</short>
  <abstract>
  <p>
   GnuPG and PGP provide public-key based encryption for e-mail and
   other electronic communication. In addition to preventing others
   from reading your private e-mail, this allows you to verify that an
   e-mail or file was indeed written by its perceived author.
  </p>
  <p>
   In order to make sure a GnuPG/PGP key belongs to the respective
   person, the key must be signed by someone who has checked the
   user's key fingerprint and verified the user's identification.
  </p>
  <p>
   A keysigning party is an ideal occasion to have your key signed by
   many people, thus strengthening the authority of your key. Everyone
   showing up exchanges key signatures after verifying ID and
   fingerprints. The Computer Science Club will be hosting such a
   keysigning party together with the Hurd presentation by THUG (see
   separate announcement). See
   <a href="http://www.student.math.uwaterloo.ca/~sjdutoit/"> the
   keysigning party homepage</a> for more information.
  </p>
  <p>
   Before attending it is important that you mail your key to
   sjdutoit@uwaterloo.ca with the subject ``keysigning.'' Also make
   sure to bring photo ID and a copy of your GnuPG/PGP fingerprint on
   a sheet of paper to the event.
  </p>
  </abstract>
 </eventitem>
 <eventitem date="2002-01-31" time="6:00 PM" room="MC2037"
  title="UNIX 101: First Steps With UNIX">
  <abstract>
    This is the first in a series of seminars that cover the use of
    the UNIX Operating System. UNIX is used in a variety of
    applications, both in academia and industy. We will be covering
    the basics of the UNIX environment, as well as the use of PINE, an
    electronic mail and news reader.
  </abstract>
 </eventitem>
 <eventitem date="2002-02-13" time="4:00 PM" room="MC4060"
  title="DVD-Video Under Linux">
  <short>Billy Biggs will be holding a talk on DVD technology
  (in particular, CSS and playback issues) under Linux, giving some
  technical details as well as an overview of the current status of
  Free Software efforts. All are welcome.</short>
  <abstract>
   <p>DVD copy protection: Content Scrambling System (CSS)</p>
   <ul>
    <li>A technical introduction to CSS and an overview of the ongoing
    legal battle to allow distribution of non-commercial DVD
    players</li>
    <li>The current Linux software efforts and open issues</li>
    <li>How applications and Linux distributions are handling the
    legal issues involved</li>
   </ul>
   <p>DVD-Video specifics: Menus and navigation</p>
   <ul>
    <li>An overview of the DVD-Video standard</li>
    <li>Reverse engineering efforts and their implementation status</li>
    <li>Progress of integration into Linux media players</li>
   </ul>
  </abstract>
 </eventitem>
 <eventitem date="2002-02-07" time="6:00 PM" room="MC2037"
  title="Unix 102: Fun With UNIX">
  <short>This the second in a series of UNIX tutorials. Simon Law and
  James Perry will be presenting some more advanced UNIX
  techniques. All are welcome. Accounts will be provided for those
  needing them.</short>
  <abstract>
   <p>
    This is the second in a series of seminars that cover the use of
    the UNIX Operating System. UNIX is used in a variety of
    applications, both in academia and industry. We will provide you
    with hands-on experience with the Math Faculty's UNIX environment
    in this tutorial.
   </p>
   <p>Topics that will be discussed include:</p>
   <ul>
    <li>Interacting with Bourne and C shells</li>
    <li>Editing text using the vi text editor</li>
    <li>Editing text using the Emacs display editor</li>
    <li>Multi-tasking and the screen multiplexer</li>
   </ul>
   <p>
     If you do not have a Math computer account, don't panic; one will
     be lent to you for the duration of this class.
   </p>
  </abstract>
 </eventitem>
 <eventitem date="2002-03-01" time="5:00 PM" room="MC4060"
  title="Computer Go, The Ultimate">
  <short>Thomas Wolf from Brock University will be holding a talk on
  the asian game of Go. All are welcome.</short>
  <abstract>
   <p>
    The asian game go is unique in a number of ways. It is the oldest
    board game known. It is a strategy game with very simple
    rules. Computer programs are very weak despite huge efforts and
    prizes of US$ &gt; 1.5M for a program beating professional
    players. The talk will quickly explain the rules of go, compare go
    and chess, mention various attempts to program go and describe our
    own efforts in this field. Students will have an opportunity to
    solve computer generated go problems. Prizes will be available.
   </p>
  </abstract>
 </eventitem>

  <!-- Spring 2002 -->

  <eventitem date="2002-05-11" time="7:00 PM" room="MC3036" title="S02
    elections">
    <short>Come and vote for this term's exec</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>
        Vote for the exec this term. Meet at the CSC office.
      </p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>


  <!-- Fall 2002 -->

  <eventitem date="2002-09-16" time="5:30 PM" room="Comfy lounge"
  title="F02 elections">
    <short>Come and vote for this term's exec</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>
        Vote for the exec this term. Meet at the comfy
        lounge. There will be an opportunity to obtain or renew
        memberships. This term's CRO is Siyan Li
        (s8li@csclub.uwaterloo.ca).
      </p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-09-30" time="6:30 PM" room="Comfy lounge, MC3001"
  title="Business Meeting">
    <short>Vote on a constitutional change.</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>
         The executive has unanimously decided to try to change our
constitution to comply with MathSoc policy.  The clause we are trying
to change is the membership clause.  The following is the proposed new
reading of the clause.
      </p>
      <p><i>
        In compliance with MathSoc regulations and in recognition of
the club being primarily targeted at undergraduate students, full
membership is open to all undergraduate students in the Faculty of
Mathematics and restricted to the same.</i>
      </p>

      <p>
        The proposed change is illustrated <a
        href="http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/docs/constitution-change-20020920.html">on
        a web page</a>.
      </p>

      <p>
        There will be a business meeting on 30 Sept 2002 at 18:30 in
        the comfy lounge, MC 3001. Please come and vote
      </p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-09-26" time="5:30 PM" room="MC3006"
  title="UNIX 101">
    <short>First Steps with UNIX</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>
           Get to know UNIX and be the envy of your friends!
      </p>
      <p>
        This is the first in a series of seminars that cover the use
        of the UNIX Operating System.  UNIX is used in a variety of
        applications, both in academia and industy. We will provide
        you with hands-on experience with the Math Faculty's UNIX
        environment in this seminar.
      </p>
      <p>
        Topics that will be discussed include:
      </p>
      <ul>
        <li>Navigating the UNIX environment</li>
        <li>Using common UNIX commands</li>
        <li>Using the PICO text editor</li>
        <li>Reading electronic mail and news with PINE</li>
      </ul>
      <p>
    If you do not have a Math computer account, don't panic; one will be 
lent to you for the duration of this class.
      </p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-10-01" time="6:30 PM-9:30 PM" room="The Bomber"
  title="Pints with the Profs">
    <short>Get to know your profs and be the envy of your friends!</short>
    <abstract>
    <p>Come out and meet your professors.  This is a great opportunity to
meet professors for Undergraduate Research jobs or to find out who you might
have for future courses.</p>

    <p>Profs who have confirmed their attendance are:</p>
    <ul>
      <li>Troy Vasiga, School of Computer Science</li>
      <li>J.P. Pretti, St. Jerome's and School of Computer Science</li>
      <li>Michael McCool, School of Computer Science, CGL</li>
      <li>Martin Karsten, School of Computer Science, BBCR</li>
      <li>Gisli Hjaltason, School of Computer Science, DB</li>
    </ul>

    <p>There will also be...</p>
    <ul>
      <li>Free Food</li>
      <li>Free Food</li>
      <li>Free Food</li>
    </ul>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-10-03" time="5:30 PM" room="MC3006"
  title="UNIX 102">
    <short>Talking to your UNIX can be fun and profitable.</short>
    <abstract>
<p>This is the second in a series of seminars that cover the use of
the UNIX Operating System. UNIX is used in a variety of applications,
both in academia and industry. We will provide you with hands-on
experience with the Math Faculty's UNIX environment in this
tutorial.</p>

<p>Topics that will be discussed include:</p>
<ul><li>Interacting with Bourne and C shells</li>
<li>Editing text using the vi text editor</li>
<li>Editing text using the Emacs display editor</li>
<li>Multi-tasking and the screen multiplexer</li>
</ul>

<p>If you do not have a Math computer account, don't panic; one will be
lent to you for the duration of this class.</p>

</abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-10-08" time="4:30PM" room="MC4045"
  title="Video cards, Linux display drivers and the Kernel Graphics Interface (KGI)">
    <short>A talk by Filip Spacek, KGI developer</short>
    <abstract>
    Linux has proven itself as a reliable operating system but arguably,
    it still lacks in support of high performance graphics
    acceleration. This talk will describe basic components of a PC video
    card and the design and limitations the current Linux display driver
    architecture.  Finally a an overview of a new architecture, the Kernel
    Graphics Interface (KGI), will be given.  KGI attempts to solve the
    shortcomings of the current design, and provide a lightweight and
    portable interface to the display subsystem.
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-10-10" time="5:30pm" room="MC3006"
  title="UNIX 103">
    <short></short>
    <abstract>No abstract available yet.</abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-11-05" time="4:30 PM" room="MC 2065"
  title="The Evil Side of C++">
    <short>Abusing template metaprogramming in C++; aka. writing a
    Mandelbrot generator that runs at compile time</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>Templates are a useful feature in C++ when it comes to writing
    type-independent data structures and algorithms. Relatively soon
    after their appearance it was realised that they could be used to
    do much more than this. Essentially it is possible to write
    certain programs in C++ that execute <i>completely at compile
    time</i> rather than run time. Combined with constant-expression
    optimisation this is an interesting twist on regular C++
    programming.</p>
    <p>This talk will give a short overview of the features of
    templates and then go on to describe how to &quot;abuse&quot;
    templates to perform complex computations at compile time. The
    speaker will present three programs of increasing complexity which
    execute at compile time. First a factorial listing program, then a
    prime listing program will be presented. Finally the talk will
    conclude with the presentation of a <b>Mandelbrot generator running
    at compile time</b>.</p>

    <p>If you are interested in programming for the fun of it, the C++
    language or silly tricks to do with languages, this talk is for
    you. No C++ knowledge should be necessary to enjoy this talk, but
    programming experience will make it more worthwile for you.</p>

    </abstract> </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-11-02" time="11:00AM-3:00PM"
    room="MC3002 (Math Coffee and Donut Store)"
    title="GNU/Linux InstallFest with KW-LUG and UW-DIG">
    <short>Bring over your computer and we'll help you install GNU/Linux</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>The <a href="http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/">CSC</a>, the <a
      href="http://www.kwlug.org/">KW-Linux User Group</a>, and the <a
      href="http://uw-dig.uwaterloo.ca/">UW Debian Interest Group</a>
      are jointly hosting a GNU/Linux InstallFest.  GNU/Linux is a
      powerful, free operating system for your computer.  It is mostly
      written by talented volunteers who like to share their efforts
      and help each other.</p>

      <p>Perhaps you have are you interested in installing GNU/Linux.
      If so, bring your computer, monitor and keyboard; and we will
      help you install GNU/Linux on your machine.  You can also find
      knowledgable people who can answer your questions about
      GNU/Linux.</p>

      <hr />

      <h3>Frequently Asked Questions</h3>

<p><b>Q: </b>What is GNU/Linux?<br />
<b>A: </b>GNU/Linux is a free operating system for your computer.  It is mostly
   written by talented volunteers who like to share their efforts.
</p>

<p><b>Q: </b>Free?<br />
<b>A: </b>GNU/Linux is available for zero-cost.  As well, it allows you such
   freedom to share it with your friends, or to modify the software to
   your own needs and share that with your friends.  It's very friendly.
</p>

<p><b>Q: </b>What is an InstallFest?<br />
<b>A: </b>An InstallFest is a meeting where volunteers help people install
   GNU/Linux on their computers.  It's also a place to meet users, and
   talk to them about running GNU/Linux.
</p>

<p><b>Q: </b>What kind of computer do I need to use GNU/Linux?<br />
<b>A: </b>Almost any recent computer will do.  If you have an old machine
   kicking around, you can install GNU/Linux on it as well.  If it is
   at least 5 years old, it should be good enough.
</p>

<p><b>Q: </b>Can I have Windows and GNU/Linux on the same computer?<br />
<b>A: </b>If you can run Windows now, and you have an extra gigabyte (GB) of
   disk space to spare; then it should be possible.
</p>

<p><b>Q: </b>What should I bring if I want to install GNU/Linux?<br />
<b>A: </b>You will want to bring:</p>
<ol>
<li>Computer</li>
<li>Monitor and monitor cable</li>
<li>Power cords</li>
<li>Keyboard and mouse</li>
</ol>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-11-07" time="5:30pm" room="MC4063"
  title="The GNU General Public License">
    <short>The teeth of Free Software</short>
    <abstract>
<p>
<blockquote>
<i>
The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom
to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License
is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free
software---to make sure the software is free for all its users.
</i><br/>--- Excerpt from the GNU GPL
</blockquote>
</p>
<p>The GNU General Public License is one of the most influencial
software licenses in this day.  Written by Richard Stallman for the
GNU Project, it is used by software developers around the world to
protect their work.
</p>
<p>
Unfortunately, software developers do not read licenses thoroughly, nor
well.  In this talk, we will read the entire GNU GPL and explain the
implications of its passages.  Along the way, we will debunk some myths
and clarify common misunderstandings.
</p>
<p>
After this session, you ought to understand what the GNU GPL means, how
to use it, and when you cannot use it.  This session should also give
you some insight into the social implications of this work.
</p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-11-19" time="4:30pm" room="MC4058"
   title="Metaprogramming GPUs">
   <short>A talk by Michael McCool of the Computer Graphics Lab.</short>
   <abstract>
<p>
Modern graphics accelerators, or "GPUs", have embedded high-performance 
programmable components in the form of vertex and fragment shading units. 
Recently, these units have evolved from 8-bit computations to floating-point,
and other operations provide array gather, scatter, and summation.
These capabilities make GPUs akin to array processors of the 
past, but with a difference: every PC now has one!  I am interested 
in finding the best way to exploit this computational capacity for not
only graphics but for general-purpose computation.
</p><p>
Current APIs permit specification of the programs for GPUs
using an assembly-language level interface.  Compilers for high-level 
shading languages are available, such as NVIDIA's Cg, and OpenGL 2.0 and 
DirectX will also include standardized shading languages.  This talk will 
review these.  However, compilers for these languages read in an external 
string specification, which can be inconvenient.   
</p><p>
However, it is possible, using standard C++, to define a high-level
shading language directly in the API.  Such a language can be nearly
indistinguishable from a special-purpose programming language, yet  
permits more direct interaction with the specification of textures 
(arrays) and parameters, simplifies implementation, and enables
on-the-fly generation, manipulation, and specialization of shader programs.
A shading language built into the API also permits the lifting of
C++ host language type, modularity, and scoping constructs into the shading
language without any additional implementation effort.   Such an
embedded language could be used to program other embedded processors
(such as DSP chips in sound cards) or even to generate machine language
on the fly for the host CPU.
</p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-11-16" time="1:30pm" room="York University"
  title="Trip to York University">
    <short>Going to visit the York University Computer Club</short>
    <abstract><p>YUCC and the UW CSC have having a join meeting at York 
University.  Dave Makalsky, the President of YUCC, will be giving a talk on 
Design-by-constract and Eiffel.  Stefanus Du Toit, Vice-President of the UW 
CSC, will be giving a talk on the evil depths of the black art known as C++.
</p><p>Schedule</p>
<ul><li>1:30pm: Leave UW</li>
<li>3:00pm: Arrive at York University.</li>
<li>3:30pm: The Evil side of C++</li>
<li>4:30pm: Design-by-Contract and Eiffel</li>
<li>6:00pm: Dinner</li>
<li>9:00pm: Arrive back at UW</li>
</ul>
</abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-11-21" time="6:00pm" room="MC2066"
  title="Perl 6">
    <short>A talk by Simon Law</short>
    <abstract>
      <p>
        Perl, the Practical Extraction and Reporting Language can only
        be described as an eclectic language, invented and refined by
        a deranged system administrator, who was trained as a
        linguist.  This man, however, has declared:
      </p>
      <blockquote>
        <i>
          Perl 5 was my rewrite of Perl.
          I want Perl 6 to be the community's rewrite of Perl and of the
          community.
        </i><br/>--- Larry Wall
      </blockquote>
      <p>
        Whenever a language is designed by a committee, it is common
        wisdom to avoid it.  Not so with Perl, for it cannot get
        worse.  However strange these Perl people seem, Perl 6 is a
        good thing coming.  In this talk, I will demonstrate some Perl
        5 programs, and talk about their Perl 6 counterparts, to show
        you that Perl 6 will be cleaner, friendlier, and prettier.
      </p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-11-21" time="4:30pm" room="MC2066"
   title="Samba and You">
    <short>A talk by Dan Brovkovich, Mathsoc's Computing Director</short>
    <abstract><p>
Samba is a free implementation of the Server Message Block (SMB)
protocol. It also implements the Common Internet File System (CIFS)
protocol, used by Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP to share files and
printers. </p><p>
SMB was originally developed in the early to mid-80's by IBM and was
further improved by Microsoft, Intel, SCO, Network Appliances, Digital
and many others over a period of 15 years. It has now morphed into CIFS,
a form strongly influenced by Microsoft. </p><p>
Samba is considered to be one of the key projects for the acceptance of
GNU/Linux and other Free operating systems (e.g. FreeBSD) in the
corporate world: a traditional Windows NT/2000 stronghold. </p><p>
We will talk about interfacing Samba servers and desktops with the
Windows world.  From a simple GNU/Linux desktop in your home to the
corporate server that provides collaborative file/printer sharing,
logons and home directories to hundreds of users a day. </p>
    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-10-26" time="1:30PM" room="MC2066"
  title="GNU/Linux on HPPA">
    <short>Carlos O'Donnell talks about &quot;the last of the legacy processors to fall before the barbarian horde&quot;</short>
    <abstract>
<p>This whirlwind talk is aimed at providing an overview of the
GNU/Linux port for the HP PARISC processor. The talk will focus on
the &quot;intricacies&quot; of the processor, and in particular the
implementations of the Linux kernel and GNU Libc. After the talk
you should be acutely aware of how little code needs to be written
to support a new architecture! Carlos has been working on the port
for two years, and enjoying the fruits of his labour on a 46-node
PARISC cluster.</p>

<hr />
<p>
Carlos is currently in his 5th year of study at the University
of Western Ontario. This is his last year in a concurrent
Computer Engineering and Computer Science degree. His research
interest range from distributed and parallel systems to low
level optimized hardware design. He likes playing guitar and
just bought a Cort NTL-20, jumbo body, solid spurce top with
a mahogany back. Carlos hacks on the PARISC Linux kernel, GNU libc,
GNU Debugger, GNU Binutils and various Debian packages.
</p>


</abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-10-26" time="3:00PM" room="MC2066"
  title="The Hurd Interfaces">
    <short>Marcus Brinkmann, a GNU Hurd developer, talks about the Hurd server interfaces, at the heart of a GNU/Hurd system</short>
    <abstract>
<p>The Hurd server interfaces are at the heart of the Hurd system.  They
 define the remote procedure calls (RPCs) that are used by the servers, the
 GNU C library and the utility programs to communicate with the Hurd system
 and to implement the POSIX personality of the Hurd as well as other
 features.</p>

<p>This talk is a walk through the Hurd RPCs, and will give an overview of how
 they are used to implement the system.  Individual RPCs will be used to
 illustrate important or exciting features of the Hurd system in general,
 and it will be shown how those features are accessible to the user at the
 command line, too.</p>

 <hr />

 <p>Marcus Brinkmann is a math student at the Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum in
 Germany.  He is one of maintainers of the GNU Hurd project and the
 initiator of the Debian GNU/Hurd binary distribution.  He designed and
 implemented the console subsystem of the Hurd, wrote the FAT filesystem
 server, and fixed a lot of bugs, thus increasing the stability and
 usability of the system.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-10-26" time="4:30PM" room="MC2066"
  title="A GNU Approach to Virtual Memory Management in a Multiserver Operating System">
    <short>Neal Walfield, a GNU Hurd developer, talks about a possible Virtual Memory Management subsystem for the GNU Hurd</short>
    <abstract>
<p>Virtual memory management is one of the cornerstones of multiuser
operating systems.  Most systems available today place all of the
policy in a monolithic virtual memory manager, VMM, isolated from the
rest of the system.  Although secure and lightweight, users have no
way to communicate their anticipated memory needs and usage to the
system pager.  As a result, the VMM can only implement a global paging
policy (typically, an approximation of LRU) which may be good on
average but is best for nobody.</p>

<p>With the port of Hurd to the L4 microkernel, this situation is being
readdressed.  Due to its more distributed nature, a centralized
resource manager is not only more difficult to implement efficiently
but also contrary to the philosophy of the rest of the system.  We are
currently exploring a model whereby each program is fully self-paged
and all compete for memory from a physical memory server.  This talk
will first discuss how paging currently works in Mach and other
systems.  An argument for an external paging policy will then be
presented followed by the requirements of such a design and the design
itself.</p>

<hr />

<p>Neal Walfield, a GNU Hurd developer, is from the University of Massachusetts
Lowell.  Neal spent the summer of 2002 at University of Karlsruhe working
on porting the GNU Hurd to L4.</p>

    </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-10-17" time="5:30PM" room="MC2065"
  title="Debian in the Enterprise">
    <short>A talk by Simon Law</short>
    <abstract>
<p>The Debian Project produces a &quot;Universal Operating System&quot; that is
comprised entirely of Free Software.  This talk focuses on using Debian
GNU/Linux in an enterprise environment.  This includes:</p>
<ul>
  <li>Where Debian can be deployed</li>
  <li>Strategic advantages of Debian</li>
  <li>Ways for business to give back to Debian</li>
</ul>
   </abstract>
  </eventitem>

  <eventitem date="2002-11-12" time="4:30PM" room="MC4058"
  title="Automatic Memory Management and Garbage Collection">
    <short>A talk by James A. Morrison</short>
    <abstract>
<p>
  Do you ever wonder what java is doing while you wait?  Have you ever used
Modula-3?  Do you wonder how lazily you can Mark and Sweep?  Would you like to
know how to Stop-and-Copy?
</p><p>
 Come out to this talk and learn these things and more.  No prior knowledge of
Garbage Collection or memory management is needed.
</p>
   </abstract>
  </eventitem>

</eventdefs>