Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sunybcs!boulder!ccncsu!debussy.cs.colostate.edu!haines From: haines@debussy.cs.colostate.edu (Matt Haines) Newsgroups: comp.misc Subject: Re: Too much computing is detrimental Message-ID: <7693@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU> Date: 27 Jun 90 16:24:56 GMT References: <29256@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> <933@montagar.uucp> Sender: news@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU Distribution: na Organization: Colorado State Computer Science Department Lines: 47 (David L. Cathey) writes: | (joseph s polvino) writes: | > I truly believe that too much computing resources can have negative effects. | > ... | | I think there is a lot of wasted uses of not just computers, but | technology in general. Talking Coke machines? Musical greeting cards? Oh, and what do you guys think of spending hours every week reading the News?? | | I do agree that with the detrimental effect of computers. I've | witnessed people spending hours getting a stupid little cutsie to work right | when the time could have been spent better elsewhere. Where? Spending time trying to get something "cutsie" working is valuable in my opinion. I haven't met very many programmers that can work nonstop for 8 or more hours at a time. Everyone needs to take a break and let their mind wander a bit. I beleive that "playing" with the system is good for relieving the tension of programming in addition to being useful for learning new system functions. I have spent many hours playing with Unix tools, such as Bourne shell scripts, awk, sed, ..., and I feel that I am a more capable "user" because of it. I suppose I could have spent the time in front of a Coke machine munching on a twinkie. | This does not only apply | to "Where am I" messages, pictures, etc but also production code where the | programmer does something cutsie just because it's "neat". | Had the programmer used common system-supplied functions, the code would | be much easier to support. | Instead when it breaks or needs modification, it is re-written using | common system-supplied functions resulting in more wasted time and effort. | | David L. Cathey I have met many people that are satisfied with what they know and are unwilling to learn anything new because they don't want to spend the time. Well, gotta go help one of them unjam the card reader. Matt. -- Matt Haines | "Don't take life too seriously ... Colorado State University, CS Dept. | you'll never get out of it alive!" 503 University Services Center | - ?? Ft. Collins, CO 80523 | (303) 491-1943 |