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Organizational Skills Beat Algorithmic Wizardry (2015)

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Re: Organizational Skills Beat Algorithmic Wizardry (2015)

#11

Post by oblio »

nafey wrote: post #8
lopmotr wrote: post #6

I work on math-heavy engineering software where it can take a month to learn how some clever algorithm works and I'd say organizing the code is still equally as important as that. I've thrown away big clever algorithms when I found libraries that did it for me and did it better than I could.

But most people are not doing that in their careers. It's mostly CRUD applications that they are building

I think he's agreeing with you on the overarching theme. If I'm reading his comment correctly, he's saying that despite him writing math heavy stuff, organizational skills are super important and as important as raw algorithmic skills.

Re: Organizational Skills Beat Algorithmic Wizardry (2015)

#12

Post by oggyhead »

I don't understand this! Math is a super set of algorithmic wizardry and if you include heuristics in algorithmic wizardry (why would you not?),isn't organizational skills a part of the Algorithmic Wizardry? So he's saying that knowing all skills in the subset is better than knowing all the skills in the set? And that's just the headline

Re: Organizational Skills Beat Algorithmic Wizardry (2015)

#13

Post by oggyhead »

oggyhead wrote: post #12

I don't understand this! Math is a super set of algorithmic wizardry and if you include heuristics in algorithmic wizardry (why would you not?),isn't organizational skills a part of the Algorithmic Wizardry? So he's saying that knowing all skills in the subset is better than knowing all the skills in the set? And that's just the headline

Organization is a mathematical and algorithmic problem regardless of the context. And if you think people go to school so that they mug up algorithms, you're missing the point of school. You go to school to learn how to problem-solve, how to model problems mathematically and incidentally become aware of a repo of solved problems which may help you in your own problem solving adventures.

Re: Organizational Skills Beat Algorithmic Wizardry (2015)

#14

Post by racer-v »

jmartrican wrote: post #4

This reminds me of the PHD in the office, who was hired because of some mathematical related skill they specialize in, is never getting their hands dirty. They are off somewhere looking smart and protecting their allure, while us grunts are keeping the lights on. Broad stereotype here, but it is what I have experienced. To be very honest, being on Google searching constantly has been the most important skill. In this…

I think the massive amount of churn in the web world is the exception rather than the rule. If you learned C programming 40 years ago it would still be relevant today. Even Android is almost 10 years old now.

Re: Organizational Skills Beat Algorithmic Wizardry (2015)

#15

Post by oggyhead »

oggyhead wrote: post #13
oggyhead wrote: post #12

I don't understand this! Math is a super set of algorithmic wizardry and if you include heuristics in algorithmic wizardry (why would you not?),isn't organizational skills a part of the Algorithmic Wizardry? So he's saying that knowing all skills in the subset is better than knowing all the skills in the set? And that's just the headline

Organization is a mathematical and algorithmic problem regardless of the context. And if you think people go to school so that they mug up algorithms, you're missing the point of school. You go to school to learn how to problem-solve, how to model problems mathematically and incidentally become aware of a repo of solved problems which may help you in your own problem solving adventures.

This is what I read in this article. The author has a problem with people thinking that rote-learnt algorithms is the best thing ever, and proceeds to say nope a stash of the most subjective heuristics to produce 'good code' is wayyyy better. All in all the way I see it, the author is proposing to supplant a shittty misconception with a bs idea that is nice short term solution but a complete disaster in the long term which has inculcated into this idea that programming is an Art and not a discipline.

Re: Organizational Skills Beat Algorithmic Wizardry (2015)

#16

Post by prewett »

racer-v wrote: post #14
jmartrican wrote: post #4

This reminds me of the PHD in the office, who was hired because of some mathematical related skill they specialize in, is never getting their hands dirty. They are off somewhere looking smart and protecting their allure, while us grunts are keeping the lights on. Broad stereotype here, but it is what I have experienced. To be very honest, being on Google searching constantly has been the most important skill. In this…

I think the massive amount of churn in the web world is the exception rather than the rule. If you learned C programming 40 years ago it would still be relevant today. Even Android is almost 10 years old now.

If you learned Ada, Modula-2, Pascal, or BASIC, though, it might not be so relevant. COBOL, FORTRAN, Smalltalk, and Perl 5 are somewhat useful, akin to, maybe, jQuery in the web world.

Re: Organizational Skills Beat Algorithmic Wizardry (2015)

#17

Post by racer-v »

prewett wrote: post #16
racer-v wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the massive amount of churn in the web world is the exception rather than the rule. If you learned C programming 40 years ago it would still be relevant today. Even Android is almost 10 years old now.

If you learned Ada, Modula-2, Pascal, or BASIC, though, it might not be so relevant. COBOL, FORTRAN, Smalltalk, and Perl 5 are somewhat useful, akin to, maybe, jQuery in the web world.

Point taken, but I feel all those languages had good runs. Modula-2 might have had less commercial success but still holds some intellectual interest. I sort of got sick of the web treadmill in 2013 as it felt like "learn a new toolkit every 18 months" and am primarily interested in something with longevity in that niche.

Re: Organizational Skills Beat Algorithmic Wizardry (2015)

#18

Post by [deleted] »

jmartrican wrote: post #4

This reminds me of the PHD in the office, who was hired because of some mathematical related skill they specialize in, is never getting their hands dirty. They are off somewhere looking smart and protecting their allure, while us grunts are keeping the lights on. Broad stereotype here, but it is what I have experienced. To be very honest, being on Google searching constantly has been the most important skill. In this…

[deleted]

Re: Organizational Skills Beat Algorithmic Wizardry (2015)

#20

Post by rmdashrfroot »

oggyhead wrote: post #15
oggyhead wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Organization is a mathematical and algorithmic problem regardless of the context. And if you think people go to school so that they mug up algorithms, you're missing the point of school. You go to school to learn how to problem-solve, how to model problems mathematically and incidentally become aware of a repo of solved problems which may help you in your own problem solving adventures.

This is what I read in this article. The author has a problem with people thinking that rote-learnt algorithms is the best thing ever, and proceeds to say nope a stash of the most subjective heuristics to produce 'good code' is wayyyy better. All in all the way I see it, the author is proposing to supplant a shittty misconception with a bs idea that is nice short term solution but a complete disaster in the long term…

I agree with this argument, please continue explaining.
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