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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!jona
From: jona@clyde.UUCP (Jon Allingham)
Newsgroups: net.cse
Subject: Re: Where have all the hackers gone?
Message-ID: <680@clyde.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Dec-84 08:33:42 EST
Article-I.D.: clyde.680
Posted: Fri Dec 14 08:33:42 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Dec-84 00:28:59 EST
References: <3137@utah-cs.UUCP> <67@tove.UUCP>, <1016@teddy.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Whippany NJ
Lines: 31


> Are you implying that passing courses is synonymous with
> tremendous self-discipline??  Or is it merely figuring
> out what to kiss and when?  Quite frankly, most of the
> programming courses I've taken have given minimal instruction
> and then essentially tell you to go play.  I've taken courses
> at five different universities on two coasts and haven't 
> found consistent, well-coordinated courses at any of the
> institutions.
>
> Let's face it, hacking is a viable means of CS training.

Almost every University/College/Poodunk Com College is jumping
on the Comp Sci bandwagen so I'm not surprised you didn't get
anywhere.

On the other hand, you seem to be mistaking Programming & Programming
classes for Computer Science. Hacking may possibly be a reasonable
way of learning to program - I don't feel it is a way to learn
good programming techniques though. For example, it takes a fair
amount of training and practise in theoretical comp sci to write
quality, production compilers and to do design for advanced systems
( hacking certainly doesn't teach you a whole lot about distributed
OSs, pipelining, how to get generate parallel code from non-parallel
high level langages, all of which are important for next-generation
computer development )

-- 
Jon M. Allingham	(201)386-3466	AT&T Bell Laboratories-WH

"Beam me up Scotty, no intelligent life down here!"