Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!yale!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!haven!decuac!e2big.mko.dec.com!ceomax!gillett From: gillett@ceomax..dec.com (Christopher Gillett) Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: It looks like he's at it again! Message-ID: <391@e2big.mko.dec.com> Date: 23 Jul 90 03:04:45 GMT References: <1990Jul21.004616.649@Stardent.COM> <388@e2big.mko.dec.com> Sender: usenet@e2big.mko.dec.com Reply-To: gillett@ceomax.dec.com (Christopher Gillett) Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation, Semiconductor Engineering Group Lines: 34 In article peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes: > >> Aha! Lets presume for a moment that you are truly a computer scientist, >> and that you buy into all the stuff that computer "science" teaches. > >Which computer "science"? The real one, or the straw man Bruce Karsh and >you keep bringing up. That's exactly my point! IMHO, there's really no such thing as "Computer Science". Physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, are all real sciences. There is a fundamental underpinning for everything, and everything within these fields procedes from a well understood, provable set of facts. Some elements of computer science certainly exhibit these traits, but for the most part it all seems to spring forth from a mostly subjective, arguable basis. I think that we should stop holding out our discipline as a science and call it what it really is...engineering. Borland is but one example of a company whose success is based upon their ability to deliver "performance products". For the environment and audience they've defined as market targets, their products are excellent. Griping about Turbo Whatever not running in some foreign environment (like Double DOS) is akin to griping about how hard it is to get your date to ride in your cool new garbage truck. You need the right tool for the right job. >Peter da Silva. `-_-' /Chris #include --- Christopher Gillett gillett@ceomax.dec.com Digital Equipment Corporation {decwrl,decpa}!ceomax.dec.com!gillett Hudson, Taxachusetts (508) 568-7172