In article <7Nyxj.82266$vt2.74613@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
"Judson McClendon" <judmc@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
> "Michael Mattias" <mmattias@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> "Pete Dashwood" <dashwood@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>>
>>> It has always puzzled me why so many (particularly COBOL) people
hesitate to make the leap to a different language, when
>>> "programming ability" is an underlying skill, that really shouldn't be
language dependent...
>>
>> You are assuming the presence of fundamental programming skills.
>>
>> However, many of the modern development tools/environments allow
"developers" to create applications without ever learning those
>> fundamentals. A few clicks, a few drags, a few drops and presto! you
can call yourself a programmer.
>>
>> With no such tools available, people of our generation HAD to learn the
fundamentals, so for us changing languages or development
>> environments is pretty straightforward... except when we find ourselves
in one of these newfangled IDEs where fundamentals don't
>> matter.
>
> You're right. And when these new "programmers" face a situation that
> requires actual programming skills, they're lost. I think a demarcation
> between the two different skills would be useful. Perhaps something
> like "application assembler" rather than "programmer" would be a
> better description for such people. It always gets me when people
> who can only write HTML (for example) claim to be "programmers."
> It's like a typist claiming to be an "author."
>
> I've mentioned this here before, but a cousin of mine who is the same
> age as me, and has a MS in CS, and has taught CS at university level,
> has a daughter who just finished her BS in CS. He made sure she did
> learn good programming skills, but said he was dismayed that the
> university CS department put so little emphasis on it.
If you are disappointed now, take a look at "Angel" the "new" way
to teach programming at the University level. Things do not bode
well for our industry in the not too distant future.
bill
--
Bill Gunshannon | de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n. Three wolves
billg999@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
| and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton |
Scranton, Pennsylvania | #include <std.disclaimer.h>
|
