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From: mp@whuxle.UUCP (Mark Plotnick)
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Re: Batch Programming / Re: ..., Going Off-line
Message-ID: <443@whuxle.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Jun-84 23:36:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: whuxle.443
Posted: Tue Jun 12 23:36:33 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 13-Jun-84 06:43:22 EDT
References: <1044@vax2.fluke.UUCP> <3572@fortune.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Whippany
Lines: 44

Computer courses at MIT over the past few years have had facilities
ranging from batch environments with 029 keypunches to single-user
68000 systems with bitmapped screens.

To some extent, these differences were not based on deep-seated beliefs
in methodology, but were instead due to economic considerations; some
departments couldn't afford their own computers or terminals, or had a
large investment in IBM software already developed for the course, so
they used the comp center's IBM machine and punched cards.

In other cases, the decision to go batch or interactive depended on the
application; if the assignment involved writing a billing, inventory,
and delivery scheduling program, it would be done on the batch
machine.  If the assignment consisted of writing an interactive query
system or a spreadsheet calculator, then obviously an interactive
system would be used.

One definite advantage of the batch environment offered by the
management dept's computer courses was that the students tended to pace
themselves better.  When you know that you're only going to get 1 run
per day, you tend to start your assignment sometime prior to due date
eve.

I'm not going to discuss the differences in philosophy of the various
faculty members, but here's a quote that's been causing some discussion
on another (non-usenet) mailing list.
    Date: Sun 20 May 84 18:48:40-EDT
    From: SAZ%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA

    The following paragraph appeared in the Course Notes for
    [an undergraduate computer course] under the section heading "Defensive
    Programming":

	      The word "bug" is in many ways misleading.  Bugs do not
	 crawl unbidden into our programs.  We put them there.
	 DON'T THINK OF YOUR PROGRAM AS "HAVING BUGS;" THINK OF
	 YOURSELF AS HAVING MADE A MISTAKE.  Bugs do not breed in
	 programs.  If there are many bugs in a program, it is
	 because the programmer has made many mistakes.  You
	 should never be proud when you track down a bug in your
	 own program.  It's like finding a cockroach in your
	 kitchen.  You should be embarrassed and upset that it was
	 there in the first place.