Complexity
What is the hardest thing in Computer Science?
21–30 of 42 posts
Re: What is the hardest thing in Computer Science?
#22I have a simple theory on why it is hard to name classes ;)
- https://thomasvilhena.com/2019/10/why-is-it-hard-to-name-cla...
Re: What is the hardest thing in Computer Science?
#23Creating a `complete` (in a mathematical sense) computing system.
There's some cool work in this area though! :D
Re: What is the hardest thing in Computer Science?
#24If I'm being cheeky, its other people.
Re: What is the hardest thing in Computer Science?
#25Printers.
More seriously, robustness/security. Everything we “engineer” is incredibly fragile. Nothing is built and able to be “done” if it needs continuous security maintenance for its entire life.
Re: What is the hardest thing in Computer Science?
#26People--including end-users and non-technical managers.
Re: What is the hardest thing in Computer Science?
#27Security. It needs to be built into every phase of computing, starting with the CPU micro-code, going through network protocols, up to the topmost JS framework layer. Screw up one piece and you may end up with a major vulnerability. Many software project owners avoid it due to complexity. To some extent, even academia sometimes eschews it.
Umm..what about Compilers and their implementation? Isn't it hard? PS: I find them the hardest.
compilers do a known thing. security means protecting against unknown things.
Re: What is the hardest thing in Computer Science?
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Haha...BTW, if I may ask, what do you find the hardest in Computer Science?
Semi serious answer: people!
Not semi serious. Absolutely serious. As soon as you start writing a program that takes more than one person to complete, or where you're writing not for you to be the one and only user, people problems come in. And I'm just talking about communicating intent and design among people. The bigger the project, the more that's a problem.
Then there's the unrelated problem of dealing with other peoples' personalities. The bigger the project, the more different people, and the more this aspect is a problem as well.
Re: What is the hardest thing in Computer Science?
#29Telling the difference between Computer Science and Software Engineering.
Re: What is the hardest thing in Computer Science?
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Semi serious answer: people!
Not semi serious. Absolutely serious. As soon as you start writing a program that takes more than one person to complete, or where you're writing not for you to be the one and only user, people problems come in. And I'm just talking about communicating intent and design among people. The bigger the project, the more that's a problem. Then there's the unrelated problem of dealing with other peoples' personalities. The…
I remember once on a complex project a senior manager going "That may be what I asked for, but its not what I want" and in a startup I joined where the CEO was adamant that any feature he could think of could be implemented in less than 48 hours - and this was a video technology/devices startup not a web app!
I've made horrific technical mistakes at various points in my career - but at least it is possible to learn straightforward lessons from those. Learning about people - now that's a challenge!