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=0.2 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,c7ec20d43aed6e2c X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: aidan@skinner.demon.co.uk (Aidan Skinner) Subject: Re: Newbie in distress :-) Date: 1999/10/26 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 540989366 X-NNTP-Posting-Host: skinner.demon.co.uk:158.152.76.219 References: <7urnh6$4ov$1@news2.inter.net.il> <7usf0h$du2$1@ash.prod.itd.earthlink.net> <7utnh6$gjs$1@nnrp1.deja.com> X-Complaints-To: abuse@demon.net X-Trace: news.demon.co.uk 940983344 nnrp-14:29475 NO-IDENT skinner.demon.co.uk:158.152.76.219 Organization: None User-Agent: slrn/0.9.5.4 (UNIX) Reply-To: aidan@skinner.demon.co.uk Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1999-10-26T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: On Mon, 25 Oct 1999 18:09:16 GMT, Robert A Duff wrote: >The technique of *writing* books seems to be getting lost, too. I dunno, I've read some *real* dross from the distant past[1]. But there does seem to be more of it, especially in the computing area. >But the documentation consists of a twisty maze of tiny snippets of >information connected together with hyper-links, in which I wander >aimlessly, re-reading the same paragraphs over and over... > >Or am I just showing my age? Nah, I was only born in 1980 and I've had the same experience, this particularly seems to be a problem with shareware applications. Free software seems to be better though. OTOH I'm a compulsive reader, and tend to have about 9 books on the go at one time. >You mean they haven't seen the book until they get into the exam? >I don't see the point of that -- why not let them read it ahead of time? I think this way it teaches people the value of properly written documentation, and also checks that they've understood the principles behind what they're doing and can't just regurgitate the correct answer by rememebring as large a possible set of questions as they can. - Aidan [1] Although I have to say that the worst book I've ever attempted to read was Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard and that was only 1960-something. I was warned, unfortuantely I didn't listen. I've since learned. -- "I say we just bury him and eat dessert" http://www.skinner.demon.co.uk/aidan/ OpenPGP Key Fingerprint: 9858 33E6 C755 7D34 B5C5 316D 9274 1343 FBE6 99D9