Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!udel!mmdf
From: V2057A%TEMPLEVM.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu (Juan Jose Noyles)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Efficiency vs Effectiveness
Message-ID: <21640@nigel.udel.EDU>
Date: 11 Jun 90 04:07:11 GMT
Sender: mmdf@udel.EDU
Lines: 34

That's a nice rendition of a popular saying, but that's not it, buddy.

Efficiency is a subjective thing.  What may be efficient on one level can also
be seen as a total waste of time on another.  It's built around conflicting
views of what's right, another subjective term.  Ever hear the story of the
blind men describing an elephant?

Effectiveness, however, is straightforward.  If you've taken linear algebra,
you're familiar with the concept of a kernel, right?  That's the thing upon
which you base an algebra (or a concept if you keep your analogies straight,)
because its the smallest set you can use to describe the algebra (concept).
That is what effectiveness is based on.  That's also what efficiency is based
upon before it is abused.  The correct expression of a digital solution to a
problem is the kernel solution, and the pursuit of that seems to be what you
are railing against.

In a kernel solution, there is no waste of time or storage.  The only data
present in the bounds of the program are those that are necessary.  I include
code in my specification of data, as well as the proper architecture for the
implementation of the program, because all computers are not created equal.
Obviously, this means that there will be different kernels for different arch-
itectures.

Bottom line is this:  Writing good programs is something you must care about,
otherwise you'll go through your career making excuses and trying to justify
code that stinks.  No matter what kind of machine it is, do it right or you're
just a junior grade hack.  Even if you get a Ph.D in some area, you'll still be
just an old junior grade hack.  They're the only ones that claim that it's okay
to waste code because the machine's more powerful, or bitch because it's not.

If you don't like the architecture, don't use it.  You don't *have* to work on
any machine you don't want to, if you're good enough.

ABSOLUTE Bottom Line:  all programming languages become machine code.