Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!super.upenn.edu!operations.dccs.upenn.edu!shaffer
From: shaffer@operations.dccs.upenn.edu (Earl Shaffer)
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc,comp.edu
Subject: Re: Computer science vs. Programming ag
Message-ID: <1320@super.upenn.edu.upenn.edu>
Date: Tue, 9-Jun-87 15:47:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: super.1320
Posted: Tue Jun  9 15:47:34 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 12-Jun-87 04:21:51 EDT
References: <2794@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <-109700@watcgl.UUCP> <4146@prls.UUCP>
Sender: root@super.upenn.edu.upenn.edu
Reply-To: shaffer@operations.dccs.upenn.edu.UUCP (Earl Shaffer)
Organization: University of Pennsylvania
Lines: 34
Xref: mnetor misc.jobs.misc:277 comp.edu:441

In article <4146@prls.UUCP> weaver@prls.UUCP (Michael Gordon Weaver) writes:
>If you are writing a program as a commercial product, the time of availability
>of the program may be critical to the financial success of the program, 
usually
>because others will be trying to produce something to fill the same need.
>
>If in such a situation your program sells, you will be able to afford
>to hire the additional manpower to do the extra work to make a good 
>program out of a quick hack. Conversly, if it does not sell, you won't 
>have to worry about maintenance. 

This is just the line of reasoning that has made software a "kludge"
rather than a regular business product.  AT&T does not "hack" a phone
together so that they can beat the market.  AT&T would be broke
disgraced & out of business.

Since learning UNIX I have seen these "hack" programs everywhere.  
People say "oh, well lpr isnt supported but its great..".  No its
not!   Its a terrible print queue!  It fails more often then any
other thing I have ever seen.  Many other utilities, rn, talk,
mail, etc.  can be made to fail with the slightest "push".  Its
just plain poor programming.

I dont know how your company does business, but if programming in
general is ever going to get a good rep, it will have to come from
well tested and well designed products.  Not things like DOS 3.3 and
other "quick" marketing solutions.

(said with the proper number of happy faces to foster harmony)

==============================================================================
Earl Shaffer - University of Pennsylvania - Data Communications Department
"Time was invented so that everything wouldn't happen at once." Steven Wright
==============================================================================