From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: fac41,9a0ff0bffdf63657 X-Google-Attributes: gidfac41,public X-Google-Thread: 1108a1,9a0ff0bffdf63657 X-Google-Attributes: gid1108a1,public X-Google-Thread: f43e6,9a0ff0bffdf63657 X-Google-Attributes: gidf43e6,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,4b06f8f15f01a568 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: Ehud Lamm Subject: Re: Is there a language that Dijkstra liked? (was: Re: Software landmines (loops)) Date: 1998/10/24 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 404440166 References: <6skfs7$2s6$1@hirame.wwa.com> <35F252DD.5187538@earthlink.net> <6t4dge$t8u$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> <6t5mtp$4ho$1@news.indigo.ie> <35FFE58C.5727@ibm.net> <3600E72E.24C93C94@cl.cam.ac.uk> <6ts1q0$vo2$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> <361DBC60.C153BBAD@earthlink.net> <36228EC3.4F7381FD@domain.nul> <3630b064.23189339@news.supernews.com> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Organization: The hebrew University of Jerusalem Mime-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.eiffel,comp.object,comp.software-eng,comp.lang.ada Date: 1998-10-24T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: On Fri, 23 Oct 1998, Brian Mueller wrote: > On 13 Oct 1998 00:12:49 GMT, last.first@domain.nul wrote: > I disagree, shit in my C.S. 101 programming class (which is guess > what, ADA) my instructor took points OFF my first two projects because > I implemented Error checking and handling (for constraint and invalid > input errors). I would have to say that I said "fuck errors" for my > third design. Well, they just taught me that error checking isn't a > good thing. In most cases it is a GOOD THING. :-) > > > Well, it's 1998, I'm in C.S. 101 at the University of Cincinnati, RWC > and we're learning how to badly code ADA (i.e. forget about code > errors, concentrate on "design documents") > How sad. Some insturtors can be bad. How surprising... > > Now that you bring that up, I got into trouble for having too many > comment blocks in my code, WFT is this? I could have handed my > project to anyone in that room and they would have been able to read > it and understand what I was doing easily from my comments. I've > always been told, the more, the better.I hate my C.S. class, can't > wait until the spring when I get to take C (which I know a bit), and > learn how to do it RIGHT. > As I said teachers may be fools as much as the next guy. But sometimes they do have a point. I am grading ADA assignments right now, and when one student goes against my explicit instructions, without even attempting to explain why - I usually take points off. I say "I want a comment at the beggining of the program telling what its about". No comment - I take points of. It is the fair thing to do, as other students bother to do what I ask them to. I try to be reasonable, and if someone explains himself convincingly I am the first one to cheer him. One other thing I don't like and I think other intstructors usually share my view. When the exercise is about chapter 2, don't use stuff from chapter 10 (or stuff that is outside the scope of the course alltoghter). It is then hard to compare your code to others, in order to grade it fairly. You also usually miss the concepts you were supposed to strugle with, since you avoid them by using more advanced techniques. In exercises I expect you to stick to what was taught, unsless you get specific premission otherwise. Projects are different in the respect since they are larger and go to show indepenent work. Maybe these are the resons your instructors took points off, maybe they had different reasons, and maybe they are simply jerks. I do not see how this goes to show you anything about C or ADA as languages. I doesn't even give you any real basis for comparing the C and ADA "philosophies", as oppsoed to the languages themselves. Write generic code in C (not C++). Then comapre it to ADA... There are many other examples. But this may belong to another thread. Ehud Lamm mslamm@mscc.huji.ac.il