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From: ken@ihuxq.UUCP (ken perlow)
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Re: Professionalizing Programmers, Going Off-line
Message-ID: <987@ihuxq.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 8-Jun-84 11:17:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxq.987
Posted: Fri Jun  8 11:17:28 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 9-Jun-84 07:58:57 EDT
References: <1044@vax2.fluke.UUCP>, <537@opus.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 27

--
My first data structures course combined the worst of both
worlds--the U of Wisconsin had 5 Terak micros running UCSD
system for 40 of us + about 60 intro to programming students.
You got to play around on-line, but you had to reserve 2 hr
slots, often at 3 AM, always several days in advance.  So
we came in there with a LOT of code written out, with
debugging hypotheses completely detailed, as there was no
time to stop and think--and who could think straight at 3 AM
anyway? (Remember, this was an intro course, long before any
of us got used to hackers' hours.)  So we could experiment
on-line, but prepared for same off-line.

Well, 7 non-trivial assignments in a 7-week summer session
was a hell of a load.  We were often working on two assignments
at the same time, finishing up the one--invariably late (and
late points were, of course, assessed) while starting the next.
But it broke me of most of my worst habits--poor modularity, too
few comments, variables called "x",  a good night's sleep.
Thanks, Bill Cox, wherever you are, I needed that.
-- 
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JE MAINTIENDRAI   ***** *****
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ken perlow       *****   *****
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