RE: programmer productivity.

Thanks Ken. I didn't explain myself properly. If I remember correctly, Deep Blue beat Kasparov due to a major amendment to the software to make it more intuitive rather than using a brute force technique. (Don't ask me how they did it!)

The point being that an elegant solution produced a better result than a zillion lines of code, or a zillion iterations of the same code.

I wonder if accountants are measured by the number of entries they make in a ledger. Is it better to write one cheque for a $1000 or a thousand cheques each for $1?

-----Original Message-----
From:   Sims, Ken [mailto:KSIMS@SOUTHERNWINE.com]
Sent:   Tuesday, 14 November 2000 11:26
To:     MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject:        RE: programmer productivity.

Hi Mike -

>A long, long time ago in a place far away the concept of elegance
>was a measure of an algorithms efficiency. It's the difference
>between a massively powerful computer churning through the
>possibilities and not being able to beat the human mind in a game
>of chess.

That last statement is 3 1/2 years out of date.  In May 1997 IBM's Deep Blue
beat then world champion Grandmaster Garry Kasparov 3.5 - 2.5.  Kasparov won
only one game of the six.  Deep Blue won two games, and there were three
draws.

Ken
Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada, Inc.
Opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of
my employer or anyone in their right mind.

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