Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!ernie!tedrick From: tedrick@ernie.BERKELEY.EDU (Tom Tedrick) Newsgroups: net.cse Subject: Re: theory and practice in C.S. Message-ID: <10906@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Date: Tue, 5-Nov-85 20:49:18 EST Article-I.D.: ucbvax.10906 Posted: Tue Nov 5 20:49:18 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 7-Nov-85 05:35:35 EST References: <827@dataio.Dataio.UUCP> <2392@sunybcs.UUCP> <260@yetti.UUCP> <2452@sunybcs.UUCP> Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: tedrick@ernie.UUCP (Tom Tedrick) Organization: University of California, Berkeley Lines: 42 Keywords: Flame ahead ... fair warning! ******************************************************************** Warning: Flame ahead (still time to hit 'n' ...) >[ ... criticism of theory is the issue ... ] >It's the theory of programming I mean. And >just because an idea comes out of a "theoretically-oriented research >environment" (university) doesn't make it a product of theory. The >people who do computer science are practitioners--they have to be. >A researcher who strives to be purely theoretical is often just an >obstacle to progress. At the least, he's trying to maintain the old >distinction between theory and practice in a field where they're >inseparable. Ah ... Now I am beginning to understand. Although the theory of algorithms, theory of computation, etc. seems very beautiful to me, I have to agree that the "theory of how people should program" is a field infested with intellectual lightweights who have generated lots of nonsense to burden the rest of us with, so as to justify their existence. I think programming is mainly a matter of practice and common sense with a reasonable dose of intelligence thrown in, and theory has contributed very little of practical value to the problem of how to teach programming. I guess eliminating "go to" was a success though. The worst thing is when students with little experience have been indoctrinated into some absurd style of programming, then treat the paradigm they are familar with as some kind of holy revelation, requiring them to exterminate anyone who believes in a different style. I have had first hand experience of persecution at the hands of some of these small minded idiots who were working as lab assistants for me. I am trying to develop a "theory of theories" (purely for my own enlightenment) which explains why these "theoretical parasites" exist. I think it has to do with funding being available to subsidize research in the field. End Flame. ***************************************************************** -Tom tedrick@ucbernie.arpa