Xref: utzoo comp.sw.components:398 comp.software-eng:2342
Path: utzoo!censor!geac!alias!mherman
From: mherman@alias.UUCP (Michael Herman)
Newsgroups: comp.sw.components,comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Maintenance
Keywords: knowledge, expectations, fairness
Message-ID: <614@alias.UUCP>
Date: 12 Nov 89 14:55:12 GMT
References: <1337@accuvax.nwu.edu> <11064@cbnews.ATT.COM> <78584@linus.UUCP> <376@cherry5.UUCP>
Reply-To: mherman@alias.UUCP (Michael Herman)
Organization: Alias Research Inc., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 13

> now at the point where I can make those changes. Students must learn how to make
> a good product first. Once they have mastered that, then they can learn how to
> enhance existing products. But by the time they get to that point, they have
> already graduated and are in industry.

I would wager that most car machanics have never seen an assembly line
yet they still are very effective in what they do.  I would also wager
that software maintainers don't have to be great developers.

p.s. Let's avoid the discussion that mechanics would be better if they
     had worked on an assembly line.  Its true.  In the same light,
     a software maintainer would be better if they had development
     experience.  My contention is that neither are strictly necessary.