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From: pattis@uw-june.UUCP (Richard Pattis)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: What is Computer Science?
Message-ID: <3597@uw-june.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 12-Nov-87 15:20:55 EST
Article-I.D.: uw-june.3597
Posted: Thu Nov 12 15:20:55 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 14-Nov-87 19:13:10 EST
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Organization: U of Washington, CSCI, Seattle
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Summary: The termp "programmer" is not pejorative

No flames here, but I am happy to be called a programmer;  I teach an
introductory course in programming, not computer science - in much the
same way that others at my university teach an introductory course in
calculus, not mathematics.  I believe the analogy apt.

One of my favorite pieces of writing comes from John Gardner:

  "  An excellent plumber in infintely more admirable than an incompetent
   philosopher.  The society that scorns excellence in plumbing because
   plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy
   because it is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor
   good philosophy.  Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water."

Now, I understand that when one says computer scientist, the world thinks
programmer; and we all know that it's not true. But this is common: a friend
of mine reminds me that whenever he labels himself a mathematician, the next
comment from the other person is, "I was always bad at long division."  I
guess the approprate response to a computer scientist is, "I was always bad
at punctuation with semicolons.