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From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Newsgroups: net.college
Subject: Programming vs. marks vs. initiative vs. hackers...
Message-ID: <224@looking.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Dec-84 00:00:00 EST
Article-I.D.: looking.224
Posted: Mon Dec 10 00:00:00 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 11-Dec-84 02:47:48 EST
References: <676@clyde.UUCP>
Organization: Looking Glass Software, Waterloo, Ont
Lines: 28

Most universities are not in the business of teaching programming,
they are teaching computer science.  Thus it's not expected that course
work be about becoming a good programmer, although a few courses on such
matters might not be a bad idea.   This doesn't mean that becoming
a good programmer is a bad idea at all, but simply that it's better
learned outside the classroom by hacking.   That's the reason why
undergraduate extracurricular computing facilities are so important.

While some may say they don't want to hire those hacks because they are
unreliable, guess who's out there starting their own firms?

Guys like Bill Gates and Peter Jennings were hacks.  Steve Wozniak,
and Bill Seiler.  Bob Frankston & Dan Bricklin.  Johann George.
Even Mitch Kapor and many others.  In fact just about all the really
successful programs out got started by hacks.   So let's not shut
off the world's supply.

-------------For the unitiatied
Bill Gates - founder, Microsoft
Peter Jennings - founder, VisiCorp
Steve Wozniak - founder, Apple
Bill Seiler - designer of the PET.
Bob Frankston & Dan Bricklin - authors of VisiCalc
Johann George - chief engineer, Tecmar
Mitch Kapor - founder of Lotus (1-2-3)
and I could go on naming forever....
-- 
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473