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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!fortune!phipps
From: phipps@fortune.UUCP (Clay Phipps)
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Batch Programming / Re: ..., Going Off-line
Message-ID: <3572@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 11-Jun-84 16:08:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: fortune.3572
Posted: Mon Jun 11 16:08:11 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 12-Jun-84 01:11:18 EDT
References: <1044@vax2.fluke.UUCP>
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 25

I learned programming in an interactive environment:
Wang 300 series calculators (in high school) and GE Timesharing BASIC.
Most of my subsequent undergraduate programming was done via batch on an
IBM S/360 model 65 (back when a megabyte was *lots* of memory) and OS/360.

I agree with many of the points made in the original posting,
but have found that they do not hold up in the "real world" 
of computing education, where students do not exhibit the desired behavior
under the pressures of assignments, exams, and term projects.
There is an important aspect of off-line development that was not mentioned:
many off-line environments are notoriously overloaded.
The students using them are intensely aware of delays (measured in hours
or worse) caused by slow turnaround.  One consequence is that many students, 
especially those under some form of schedule pressure (assignment deadlines),
will rush their work to get their programs back into the off-line job 
submittal queue.  This might be most accurately considered a form of panic.
The net effect is that many students will exercise *less*, rather than more, 
care in off-line work.

-- Clay Phipps


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