Let's Not Call It "Computer Science" If We Really Mean "Computer Programming"

Post by eru » Thu, May 31, 2012, 5:04 PM UTC

duaneb wrote: post #89

zerostar07 wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have always considered computer science to be information science and be a part of mathematics and not a separate science. But then again, as a physicist i might be wrong. It's not meant to be diminutive at all (i am after all a programmer) but i consider programming to be a tool, like maths (and consider the two to be inseparable).

I have always considered mathematics to be a part of philosophy and not a separate science.

Post by frou_dh » Thu, May 31, 2012, 5:13 PM UTC

CrLf wrote: post #79

frou_dh wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Music is an artistic expression, while computer software isn't. Unless it is? The sentiment that the pursuit has to be entirely about doing a job or providing utility is frighteningly inhuman. I need to go for a walk after reading that. Or maybe watch some demoscene.

The demoscene is artistic expression, but only the output, not the software itself (it can be, but it isn't a precondition).

Post by vbtemp » Thu, May 31, 2012, 5:15 PM UTC

Post by carb » Thu, May 31, 2012, 5:23 PM UTC

lordlicorice wrote: post #83

carb wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course, but part of the benefit from studying CS is that you'll be able to recognize intuitively when there is or there should be a better solution. Let's say you want a data structure that performs three operations. Insert, Delete, and Find (as in, 'is this in the database?'). The intuitive sense may come from saying, "Linked-Lists would be horrible for this! Each operation would be slow." (O(n)) The practiced pr…

"Take the most significant part, rip off the constants, and that's its growth rate." Well, it's an upper bound on its growth rate. And only after some possibly-gigantic n.

Post by BrandonM » Thu, May 31, 2012, 5:24 PM UTC

jerf wrote: post #70

cantankerous wrote: post #67

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Very, very insightful post. Thank you! To add a little personal bit, I use Haskell daily in my research. I also do web programming on the side in Rails. After figuring out Haskell, and then learning idiomatic Haskell (along with monads, monoids, functors and friends) my way of writing Ruby became much different. I'm more cognizant of patterns in Ruby as they relate to Haskell (as they relate to formalisms in computat…

I would add that part of the reason I think Haskell has supplanted Lisp is that so many of the concepts of Lisp have been absorbed into mainstream languages that the distinctiveness is greatly reduced. Macros are still mindblowing, but much less so if you've used Ruby or Python or Perl than if you're a pure C programmer. In 20 years, I suspect modern Haskell will be "less mindblowing" for the same reason. It's not th…

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