Re: Any research putting c above ada?

[jsa@alexandria (Jon S Anthony)]

In article <5le6vf$15p@bcrkh13.bnr.ca> kaz@vision.crest.nt.com (Kaz Kylheku) writes:

> Jon S Anthony <jsa@alexandria> wrote:
> >> Well then let's not bother teaching computer science at all!  Why not just
> >
> >Sounds like a good idea to me.
> 
> Yeah, why don't we just burn those computer science texts, too!

OK, :-)


> >This would be the start of something that made sense if the core
> >subject was _engineering software artifacts_.
> 
> This anti-intellectual claptrap romanticizing is getting rather tiresome.

I'm unclear on why you think this is "anti-intellectual".  It's simply
getting your tasks better and more clearly organized.  So what if
there is no "science" per se' associated with computers?  Why should
this bother you?  Why is this a big issue?  And why is engineering
somehow "anti-intellectual"???  You think you can just go touchy-feely
when engineering an aircraft wing?  Or the combustion chamber head in
an ICE??  Or a throttlable rocket engine???? or ...  Come on - your
credibility just dropped to zero.


> Heck, I propose that we do away with learning all together. We

Well this is very odd.  I think it is pretty clear that I have a high
belief in the value of learning and apprpriate and highly rigorous and
formal disciplines.  For crying out loud - my formal background is in
theoretical mathematics.  I've merely pointed out that CS is largely
redundant (at best) with several other disciplines.


> should instead hold retreats in the woods to get in touch with those
> engineers inside of us that are just yearning to be set free!  Only
> then will we develop better software, in the most natural way.

Very interesting.  This really does seem to indicate that you don't
think engineering disciplines have any value.  That they are all just
a bunch of "new age" touchy feely rubbish.  And if CS became an
engineering discipline it would apparently become:

Anti-intellectual

A hodge-podge of simple minded, non-formal, non-rigorous rubbish

A place for artsy-fartsy types.


Wow.  Definitely odd...


/Jon
-- 
Jon Anthony
Organon Motives, Inc.
Belmont, MA 02178
617.484.3383
jsa@organon.com