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From: frank@bigdog.engr.arizona.edu (Frank Manning)
Subject: Re: What's the best language to start with? [was: Re: Should I learn
 C or Pascal?]
Date: 1996/09/03
Message-ID: <50garl$hac@news.ccit.arizona.edu>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 178110579
references: <01bb846d$c6c01780$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com>
 <5085r7$ra7@kanga.accessone.com> <50a7cs$m6e@news.ccit.arizona.edu>
 <50fmsm$3o2@news.asu.edu>
organization: College of Engineering and Mines, University of Arizona
newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.ada
Date: 1996-09-03T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


In article <50fmsm$3o2@news.asu.edu> deafen@imap2.asu.edu writes:

> Computer science students entering college today face a dilemma.  While 
> we understand that the fundamentals (how the "transducer signal wends its 
> way...into the computer memory") are important, we need to keep up with 
> the state of the art, as well.

I see I haven't expressed myself very well. My fault.

I was questioning how *engineering* students were being educated about
computers -- aerospace and mechanical students, in particular, which I
should have mentioned. Obviously electrical & computer engineering
students are being taught about ADC's and stuff (at least I assume
they are).

I don't have any particular complaints about CS education per se. For
one thing, I don't know much about the CS curriculum, other than the
bits and pieces I pick up in cla from Mike Feldman et al.

I've seen many aero/mech research projects get bogged down in software
problems because neither the students nor professors -- with some
exceptions -- know much about software development. Examples:

   (1)  "Why should I put a program in more than one file? If I'm
	looking for something, I know it's either above or below the
	cursor."

   (2)  Professor writes GOSUB 5000 and expects everybody else on
	the team to know what that means.

   (3)  "Local variable? What's that?"

   (4)  Wind tunnel software written in HP Basic runs on machine
	that was new when Fred Flintstone was in diapers. Porting
	to somewhat newer PC in QuickBasic is nightmare.

   (5)  Computerized vehicle is field tested. PC with floppy
	drives is used as an embedded computer. Rather than store
	test data on floppies for later analysis, a printer is set
	up next to the test track. At the end of each run,
	professor drives to printer, plugs in printer and does
	screen dump.

> Those who have been in computing for twenty (or even ten) years have an 
> advantage over us; they've had the time to learn all of the fundamentals 
> and grow with the technology and paradigm shifts.  

Don't worry about it. You can replace the experienced boneheads I've
just alluded to. There are plenty of them around.

-- Frank Manning
-- Chair, AIAA-Tucson Section