Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!ccut!wnoc-tyo-news!dclsic!sjc!spider!leia!harkcom From: harkcom@potato.pa.Yokogawa.Co.jp (Alton Harkcom) Newsgroups: comp.edu Subject: Re: Against educational fads Message-ID: Date: 14 Dec 90 12:53:48 GMT References: <39897@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <27743@cs.yale.edu> <9426:Dec1315:38:2390@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> Sender: news@leia.pa.yokogawa.co.jp Organization: Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. Lines: 91 In-reply-to: brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu's message of 13 Dec 90 15:38:23 GMT In article <9426:Dec1315:38:2390@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) writes: =}In article harkcom@potato.pa.Yokogawa.Co.jp (Alton Harkcom) writes: =}> In article <27743@cs.yale.edu> horne-scott@cs.yale.edu (Scott Horne) =}> writes: =}> =}Russell's article stated the =}> =}(correct) opinion that writing skills are more important =}> =}to most than typing skills. =}> Even though I agree with your opinion on writing vs. word processing, =}> I still don't think it is THE 'correct' opinion. =} =}Writing skills are generally more important than typing skills. If this =}isn't a fact, what is? For the 'educated' portion of the population who will have to present ideas which can be interpreted by others, it is important. For the vast majority of people who will never need to write much more than there name and an occasional shopping list, yet will have to deal with the coming computer age to survive, it is not so important. To those people, writing skills (creative, not copying) would be considered less important than than typing skills. And to those people, their opinion would be 'correct' and your opinion would be foolish. In article <8470:Dec1313:48:5190@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) writes: =}No, it wouldn't. Programming experience does not substitute for writing =}experience. The latter is far more important in the real world. =} =}(My cynical side says that neither an ``interactive timeline'' nor a =}history term paper is much more than an exercise in bull, but at least =}writing bull is more of an intellectual challenge than coding it.) Programming experience does not substitute for writing experience, but that does not make writing better then programming. Programming is an intellectual challenge also. Just because one values his writing skills over his programming skills doesn't mean that the rest of the world does so... I believe there is more 'intelligence' being used to produce better software than there is being used to 'write' as evidenced by the amount of good software produced vs. the amount of 'writing' produced. (But a quick glance at most documentation shows that writing skills weren't 'studied' as hard as programming skills were. Myself included ;-) You are entitled to your opinions, and the rest of us are entitled to ours... In article <8619:Dec1314:03:4290@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) writes: =}Hopefully not. It is hellishly useful to organize revisions into =}separate drafts. I find it quite a burden to keep revisions in seperate drafts. I spend more time rewriting what I've already written or rethinking what I've already written (when a rethink isn't neccesary) when I try to keep drafts seperate. I find it much easier to stick my hands in the guts of my words and feel where things fit instead of dissecting the carcass of my draft and trying to piece it back much as Dr. Frankenstein did with his monster... =}Your point is that word processors can push writing over the threshold =}between a pain and a joy. So what? That doesn't diminish the importance =}of writing well---and good prose requires a brain, not a keyboard. I agree that typing skills do not dimish the importance of good writing skills. I also believe that good writing skills do not diminish the importance of good typing skills. They both have their importance and IMHO are equally important to the majority of the people (with writing skills taking the lead in the 'rat race') =}Russell's analogy: An air conditioner can push Texas driving over the =}threshold between a pain and a joy. So what? That doesn't diminish the =}importance of driving well---and good driving requires a brake, not an =}air conditioner. But Russell's analogy fails!?! The writing skills in this analogy would be more closely associated with the drivers reflexes and control over the judgements neccesary to guide the car. The typing skills would be more closely associated with the drivers interaction with the mechanical systems of the car. If the object is to drive the car, both are equally as important. If the person chooses to walk, then the writing skills (or control) becomes the only important aspect... -- -- harkcom@pa.yokogawa.co.jp Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Tokyo, Japan