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From: duncan@dduck.ctt.bellcore.com (Scott Duncan)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,comp.lang.pascal
Subject: Re: CS-1
Message-ID: <16007@bellcore.bellcore.com>
Date: 9 May 89 10:42:14 GMT
References: <2130@iitmax.IIT.EDU> <2394@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk> <206@psgdc> <1085@lafcol.UUCP>
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Reply-To: duncan@ctt.bellcore.com (Scott Duncan)
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In article <1085@lafcol.UUCP> ciriello@lafcol.UUCP (Patrick Ciriello II) writes:
>
>I consider programming more of an art than a science myself.
>I compare writning a large system to the writing of a symphony.

Depending on how large you mean, I do not know that any symphony was ever
written by a team of people, but most large software systems are not the work
of a single individual -- though much of the vision might be, I agree.  The
problems in large system development are those brought about through the com-
munication needed between groups of people, assuming certain levels of compe-
tence or experience.  (The individual differences between programmers which
studies by Curtis, Sheppard, et al, have demonstrated also tend to wash out,
according to Belady and Lehman, the larger the project gets.)

>             Understanding the way to approach a problem and solve it is
>much more important that learning the syntax of a particular language.
>
>Perhaps that is where CSCI course need to be bolstered up.  More problem
>solving and less 'programming'.
>
>Of course, you need both, but I wonder where the emphasis should really be?

Clearly on the former.  I have taught students who were taking a second or
third language and who told me they "knew how to program" already.  They did
some of the more careless and sloppy work as well as having had some of the
least ingenious solutions.  They're goal was to "get done" with the course be-
cause they just "needed another language credit" to graduate.

Programming is the easy part.

Speaking only for myself, of course, I am...
Scott P. Duncan (duncan@ctt.bellcore.com OR ...!bellcore!ctt!duncan)
                (Bellcore, 444 Hoes Lane  RRC 1H-210, Piscataway, NJ  08854)
                (201-699-3910 (w)   201-463-3683 (h))