Ryan Carson is the next Steve Jobs
Code != computer science
121–130 of 148 posts
Re: Code != computer science
#122I look at this from the other side as well. I've worked with brilliant people with ivy league CS degrees who wrote much messier and less maintainable code than me, an autodidact designer/js dev with 1.5 years of experience. Maybe I'm wrong, and there was something in their code that I wasn't seeing, but I don't think so. There can also be a bit of an attitude, like the person is thinking "of course this is good, I we…
> I look at this from the other side as well. I've worked with brilliant people with ivy league CS degrees who wrote much messier and less maintainable code than me, an autodidact designer/js dev with 1.5 years of experience. Maybe I'm wrong, and there was something in their code that I wasn't seeing, but I don't think so. I would have ignored your comment were it not for you mentioning that you write javascript. I s…
A little whitespace goes a long way. Were the list elements also stored in sequence in some array, or is ->lnk a two-element array with the forward and backward pointers?
Re: Code != computer science
#123The truth is that the world needs a lot more software engineers than computer scientists. Yes, there are a lot of hard problems that are best solved by government or academic research, but there is a lot more software eating the world. And to develop the vast majority of that software, you don't need much academic CS knowledge. I know, because I have a mastered in CS and considered getting my Phd. I decided to join i…
I would far prefer to earn half as much if it meant working only on problems I find interesting and spending my time teaching others, instead of churning out websites. To each their own, but your pity for your proffesor is likely misplaced.
Re: Code != computer science
#124"So, please, go do that hour of code if you haven’t already. Who knows? Maybe you’ll want to become a software developer, but even if you don’t, it’s worth the effort, and might even be fun!" I need someone to please explain this last bit to me. He seems to suggest that it's pretty easy to become a software developer. This idea seems to be pretty common across hacker news. That all it takes is a little bit of researc…
I know someone who went from not coding at all to a proffesional dev in 2 years. He got hooked on a programmable game mod at the age of 16, and by the time he graduated high school he was working as a web developer. Never took a CS class in his life, he just got really into it.
Re: Code != computer science
#125I look at this from the other side as well. I've worked with brilliant people with ivy league CS degrees who wrote much messier and less maintainable code than me, an autodidact designer/js dev with 1.5 years of experience. Maybe I'm wrong, and there was something in their code that I wasn't seeing, but I don't think so. There can also be a bit of an attitude, like the person is thinking "of course this is good, I we…
> I look at this from the other side as well. I've worked with brilliant people with ivy league CS degrees who wrote much messier and less maintainable code than me, an autodidact designer/js dev with 1.5 years of experience. Maybe I'm wrong, and there was something in their code that I wasn't seeing, but I don't think so. I would have ignored your comment were it not for you mentioning that you write javascript. I s…
> Of course if this was Perl it would be even worse.
Sigh. Sadly, it has become fashionable to bring up Perl only to ridicule it even when there is absolutely no context or need.
Take a look at this implementation [1] of doubly linked list in Perl. Tell me how that is worse [2].
Now, I will go back to my corner to being productive using Perl or whatever language I need.
[1] https://metacpan.org/source/LEONT/List-DoubleLinked-0.003/li...
[2] Of course, I have no way of knowing if it is an exact or even close translation of your code, but it does implement doubly linked lists.
Re: Code != computer science
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wikipedia describes "computer science" as an umbrella term covering everything pertaining to software development and algorithmic thought. Academic computer science programs generally offer courses in both the theoretical and the applied. Even the very term itself has often been described as a misnomer, not necessarily having anything to do with "computers" or with "science". I think the reason people mix such things…
The truth is, CS is not a "science" like biology or physics. It is an education in understanding computation and software development. I'd also argue it is not an engineering discipline either. It's unfortunate the terms "Computer Science" and "Software Engineering" were ever accepted. They're holding us back; we're stuck in an outdated view of the subject.
I kindof disagree. For example while studying UML, it became more and more apparent to me how legitimate it is to have the word "science" in "Computer Science". Being able to create a high-level framework that is general enough to apply pervasively to IT systems is not a trivial matter, and requires considerable academic effort and creativity. The domain may be different from biology or physics, but the methods of obtaining that"understanding" you mention are strikingly similar (which accounts for the reliability of the results that are delivered).
Re: Code != computer science
#127I've always thought of computer science as a branch of mathematics. To me coding or programming is applied (or engineering) computer science, it's an engineering field (hence the term software engineer). Just like there is theoretical physics (a basic science), and also applied/engineering physics (e.g. mechanical engineering). They are related fields, but specializing in one does not mean you will be good at the oth…
I would say some of Computer Science is mathematics. Mathematics is the foundation of Computer Science, but CS is not a branch of mathematics, although the origins of the field are found there. It is an important, core, part of the subject, but it does not entirely encompass it. For example, CS also includes Psychology, Graphic Design, social science, art, etc. Also, CS involves the teaching of programming, which is…
Absolutely, CS is an inter-disciplinary subject.
Re: Code != computer science
#128What I learned while getting my CS degree:
The physics of microelectronic devices Machine language C Data structures Sociology Psychology Anthropology Literature Politics and Activism
College is an opportunity to learn. Whether you seize it or waste it is up to you.
[edit: just want to add that the OP makes a great point]
Re: Code != computer science
#129Customers rarely care what we code or computer science in
Customers of any product rarely care what the people involved with the arts and sciences behind those product's creations do. That observation is not restricted to coding or comp sci.
Yup, they just want to receive value (saving or making money/time) for using the product.
Re: Code != computer science
#130Customers rarely care what we code or computer science in
I don't know that I've ever been more torn about a comment than this one. I worked in both "core dev" and professional services development, and have seen what comes from well-architected software design, the sort of architecture that only experienced top-line CS graduates (or several-decades-worth-of-experience autodidacts or engineers) seem capable of producing (IMHO, YMWV)... ...and have seen many, many 1.0's, she…
A few observations:
- Being reasonably kind to your future self without over engineering or over architecting is the real skill of a talented developer/engineer in my eyes.
- All software is like hardware, no matter how it's built, it has it's limits that will likely have to be revisited.
- Customers not caring about which language/framework something is made in doesn't mean the code is automatically unkept or made carelessly.
- Most languages and frameworks are pretty capable. All have their tradeoffs of what they uniquely provide vs give away. Very few projects will critically fail or succeed solely from the selection of a particular framework or language.
- I'm not sure if you're connecting customers who don't care what language their system is built in, causing 3 AM bugs. If so:
a) 3 AM bugs are not a cause of any particular language of framework or language, or the customer not caring about which one, but rather, the developer.
b) Bugs are a reality on all platforms, and are best insulated against by a combination of process, policy and strategy that can be reasonably implemented in any stack.
Ultimately, it's about how the user feels and the value that provided to them in solving a pain.
Customer value is NOT the same value the developer provides themselves to make the developer's own life easier and somehow believing that all the build tools in the world will solve the customer's problem any better, or make a difference for the end user. It's not as often as it seems.
Most languages and frameworks are capable of delivering delight if the developer spends time focussing on the user's pain and not just their own pains in their stack. Looking at how much value HN provides, it's not a function of it's language, framework, or coding.
Maybe like inter-faith, i'm an inter-platform kind of guy as a polyglot and see the good everyone can be doing instead of dividing among syntactical philosophy that is indistinguishable to the users in the end.