Comments on: The stepchild http://bit-player.org/2007/the-stepchild An amateur's outlook on computation and mathematics. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:36:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Karthi http://bit-player.org/2007/the-stepchild#comment-1423 Karthi Wed, 07 Feb 2007 07:20:47 +0000 http://bit-player.org/?p=87#comment-1423 I am not from computer science or math department. But I find there are plenty of things need to accomplished in computer science. The whole challenge is in providing a framework which eight year kid can use and produce Virtual robots! Just from programming point of view it is difficult to make things simple enough. I am not from computer science or math department. But I find there are plenty of things need to accomplished in computer science.

The whole challenge is in providing a framework which eight year kid can use and produce Virtual robots! Just from programming point of view it is difficult to make things simple enough.

]]> By: nutbearer http://bit-player.org/2007/the-stepchild#comment-1422 nutbearer Wed, 07 Feb 2007 07:12:08 +0000 http://bit-player.org/?p=87#comment-1422 "Also, I’ll believe that “the masses” will be able to develop software when they know the difference between OR and XOR. E.g., to the average person, the question “would you like an orange or an apple” has two (maybe three) answers. To the computer scientist, there are four answers." As a corollary, the average computer scientist will get laid when they realize that natural language does not use logical connectives, and pretending that it does makes them look silly rather than clever. “Also, I’ll believe that “the masses” will be able to develop software when they know the difference between OR and XOR. E.g., to the average person, the question “would you like an orange or an apple” has two (maybe three) answers. To the computer scientist, there are four answers.”

As a corollary, the average computer scientist will get laid when they realize that natural language does not use logical connectives, and pretending that it does makes them look silly rather than clever.

]]> By: Alex http://bit-player.org/2007/the-stepchild#comment-1421 Alex Wed, 07 Feb 2007 02:33:00 +0000 http://bit-player.org/?p=87#comment-1421 Stroustrup explains it well: http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/17831/ http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/17868/ Computer programming still suffers from many serious problems and is far from being mastered even by expert programmers. The main problem as I see it is caused by those brave folks (and their supporters) who figure out MS Access and VBA and believe they can build production systems. It's kinda like setting out to build your next home based on the experience of successfully building a doghouse. Stroustrup explains it well:

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/17831/

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/17868/

Computer programming still suffers from many serious problems and is far from being mastered even by expert programmers.

The main problem as I see it is caused by those brave folks (and their supporters) who figure out MS Access and VBA and believe they can build production systems. It’s kinda like setting out to build your next home based on the experience of successfully building a doghouse.

]]> By: David Eisner http://bit-player.org/2007/the-stepchild#comment-1420 David Eisner Tue, 06 Feb 2007 16:23:51 +0000 http://bit-player.org/?p=87#comment-1420 <em>Virtual robots—Zooks—can be created by eight-year olds without needing programming, logic or discrete mathematics skills. </em> This kind of argument reminds me of something Joel Spolsky recently commented upon in a blog entry titled <a href="http://joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/12/05.html" rel="nofollow">Lego Programming</a>. Excerpt: <blockquote> BusinessWeek ran a cover-story about object oriented programming way back in September, 1991, accompanied by a picture of a baby in diapers programming a computer. They also used the Lego metaphor: “Indeed, at the software startup they now head, Objective Technologies Inc., programming seems downright juvenile: Instead of mucking around in tangles of C code—writing arcane statements such as printf ("%s/n", curr str)—they mainly connect boxes on the screens of their NeXT Computer Inc. workstations and fill in blanks. In minutes, they have industrial-strength programs that run right the first time and that can be modified without brain surgery. Says Bergerson, 27: ‘I showed my mother, and she said, “You’re still playing with Lego blocks, like when you were a kid!”’” </blockquote> Virtual robots—Zooks—can be created by eight-year olds without needing programming, logic or discrete mathematics skills.

This kind of argument reminds me of something Joel Spolsky recently commented upon in a blog entry titled Lego Programming. Excerpt:

BusinessWeek ran a cover-story about object oriented programming way back in September, 1991, accompanied by a picture of a baby in diapers programming a computer. They also used the Lego metaphor: “Indeed, at the software startup they now head, Objective Technologies Inc., programming seems downright juvenile: Instead of mucking around in tangles of C code—writing arcane statements such as printf (”%s/n”, curr str)—they mainly connect boxes on the screens of their NeXT Computer Inc. workstations and fill in blanks. In minutes, they have industrial-strength programs that run right the first time and that can be modified without brain surgery. Says Bergerson, 27: ‘I showed my mother, and she said, “You’re still playing with Lego blocks, like when you were a kid!”’”

]]> By: Derek http://bit-player.org/2007/the-stepchild#comment-1419 Derek Tue, 06 Feb 2007 15:43:49 +0000 http://bit-player.org/?p=87#comment-1419 Maybe I'm repeating an urban legend, but wasn't COBOL designed with an english-like syntax so that business managers would be able to read and write code (thus cutting out the costly programmers)? Also, I'll believe that "the masses" will be able to develop software when they know the difference between OR and XOR. E.g., to the average person, the question "would you like an orange or an apple" has two (maybe three) answers. To the computer scientist, there are four answers. Maybe I’m repeating an urban legend, but wasn’t COBOL designed with an english-like syntax so that business managers would be able to read and write code (thus cutting out the costly programmers)?

Also, I’ll believe that “the masses” will be able to develop software when they know the difference between OR and XOR. E.g., to the average person, the question “would you like an orange or an apple” has two (maybe three) answers. To the computer scientist, there are four answers.

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