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From: chrisp@regenmeister.uucp (Chris Prael)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: CS education
Message-ID: <34754@regenmeister.uucp>
Date: 13 Nov 89 18:59:50 GMT
References: <8911092042.AA21382@ctc.contel.com>
Sender: chrisp@regenmeister (Chris Prael)
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Mtn View, CA
Lines: 16

From article <8911092042.AA21382@ctc.contel.com>, by fitz@CTC.CONTEL.COM (Joe Fitzgerald):
> I learned a helluva lot more about software engineering in one quarter of
> operating systems than I did in four quarters of calculus, four quarters of
> physics and 3 quarters of business administration combined, all of which were
> required.  

If the four quarters of calculus you took were at all typical, the were
all cookbook and no theory.  No-one learns to think from memorizing that 
trash. It wasn't until I got into the second and third year stuff that 
they started teaching material of real value.

First year calculus in not taught for any reason having anything to do
with the education of mathematicians.  It is taught because the teaching
of physics and most forms of engineering is crippled without it.  

Chris Prael