Re: RE: Not knowing

From: Michael Naughton <mnaughton@juddwire.com>
> Um, how many people on this list use subfiles (raise your hands, please)?
>
> Okay -- keep your hand up if you completely understand every keyword and
> record format in every subfile you've used in a program and can explain
> why they are as they are and not some other way.
>
> Okay -- you six can put your hands down now. :-)

If you cannot do this, I would not trust my busines or life or money
to your application.


> IMHO, if it were required that no programmer ever use anything they they
> don't completely understand, there would be a lot fewer programmers and a
> lot fewer programs. They might well be much better programmers and
> programs, but on the whole I think a case can be made that the world in
> general has benefitted from the fact that so many people can now use
> computers for so many things -- in large part because of programmers who
> knew just enough to get by (and the ones that don't know quite enough
> provide extra employment for the rest of us ;-). And I think it's the same
> way in just about every human activity, not just computer programming.
>

not so. Engineers that build bridges know why the steel cables
have the dimension they have. Doctors that cut up people know
more that just "to get by" and there are not (we all hope) extra
employment provided for the rest of them. It is about being
professional and belonging to a profession. This does not
mean that the programmer needs to know EVERYTHING, e.g.
about a display file. (S)he only needs to know what (s)he uses
but what is used must be understood.

Now, most people can learn to write, but not all are writers.
And most people can learn to program, but not all are programmers.

Only my $2,000,000s worth  :-)