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From: beth@umcp-cs.UUCP (Beth Katz)
Newsgroups: net.cse
Subject: Re: Computer science vs. computer programming
Message-ID: <3583@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Sep-86 14:05:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.3583
Posted: Thu Sep 25 14:05:26 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Sep-86 06:03:38 EDT
References: <5487@decwrl.DEC.COM> <1670@ames.UUCP>
Reply-To: beth@umcp-cs.UUCP (Beth Katz)
Organization: University of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Sci.
Lines: 23

Eugene Miya writes (in addition to other useful things):
>Be careful when you separate computer science and programming.
>As I have said, too many times before:
>It's going to be important for new computer science ideas to reach
>programmers out "in the trenches."  ....

And on the other side, even in 'computer science', you should at
least know how to program so that you can test out the theories
before you send them into the trenches.  What is called 'technology
transfer' includes testing out the theories, showing that they
are applicable and useful, teaching and incorporating them into
production environments, and evaluating and possibly modifying
them within those environments.  But you need to understand the
problem 'out there'.  Pure computer science theory doesn't
necessarily address that.  And a lot of software engineering
research doesn't address the 'real world' either.   I'm not saying
that it must, but the researchers should at least be aware of
the real problems.  Knowing how to program and design non-trivial
systems would help.

				Beth Katz
				Univ. of Maryland CS Dept.
"The more I learn, the more there is to know."