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From: celerity!ps@ucsd.edu
Newsgroups: comp.society.women
Subject: Language and Computers
Message-ID: <5724@ecsvax.uncecs.edu>
Date: 1 Nov 88 22:59:25 GMT
References: <5689@ecsvax.uncecs.edu> <5714@ecsvax.uncecs.edu>
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In article <5714@ecsvax.uncecs.edu> bch@uncecs.edu (Byron C. Howes) writes:
...
>This doesn't blunt the original argument however.  What are
>traditionally thought of as computer languages are composed primarily,
>if not entirely, of imperative sentences possibly modifed by conditional
>clauses.  If we can say that men are socialized to lead and women to
>follow then we can say that the territory of computer language
>imperatives may be alien to women.
>
>--Byron


If a hypothesis has as a necessary consequence something that is clearly
contrary to observable fact, the hypothesis needs to be modified or trashed.

I have not noticed any tendency for women to have more difficulty than men
with "the territory of computer language imperatives". Some of the major
contributions to programming languages have been made by women. Is it likely
that the territory of computer language imperatives is alien to Grace
Hopper? If so, how and why has she done so much to enhance it?  There may be
argument about exactly how much Ada, Countess Lovelace contributed, but it
is clear that she could understand and handle the basic concepts of
programming languages.

The territory of computer language imperatives is not alien to women. I am
very much at home in that territory, and know both personally and by
reputation of many women who are mistresses of it.

The only logical conclusion from demonstrating that a hypothesis leads to a
contrary-to-observation "fact" is to consider the hypothesis as it stands to
be disproved. Either fix the hypothesis to take into account the facts, or
discard it, but don't use it to deduce fallicies.

	ps
	(Patricia Shanahan)
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	arpa : ucsd!celerity!ps@nosc
	phone: (619) 271-9940