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- From: nevin@apple.com (Nevin ":-]" Liber)
- Newsgroups: comp.edu
- Subject: Re: Scientists as Programmers (was Re: Small Language Wanted)
- Message-ID: <nevin-150992154735@badenov.apple.com>
- Date: 15 Sep 92 22:57:22 GMT
- References: <1992Aug25.154501.8654@colorado.edu> <1992Aug26.192410.6523@ultb.isc.rit.edu> <1992Aug27.154823.583@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca> <BtpAIn.EE5@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> <34742@cbmvax.commodore.com> <1992Aug31.133811.3626@crd.ge.com> <1992Aug31.135937.5801@dcc.uchile.cl>
- Sender: news@gallant.apple.com
- Followup-To: comp.edu,comp.lang.fortran,comp.lang.misc,comp.arch,sci.math
- Organization: Apple Computer, Inc.
- Lines: 33
-
- In article <1992Aug31.135937.5801@dcc.uchile.cl>, pchris@dcc.uchile.cl
- (Chris Perleberg) wrote:
- > They found CS programmers to
- > be useless: "....it's easier to teach a PhD en Physics how to program then
- > to teach a CS programmer Physics...."
-
- May you have to maintain that code for the rest of your life.
-
- > There is a hell of a lot of truth in
- > that statement. Most PhD's in Physics are reasonably intelligent and
- > programming is not really a difficult challenge.
-
- To get something barely working, I agree. To make a piece of code that
- will be useable, modifiable, and maintainable for years and years, good
- luck.
-
- > And scientific code often naturally structures itself.
-
- I hope I never get stuck touching this code.
-
- > They did hire one programmer and basically she couldn't do much useful
- > programming in the nuclear codes (anyway, a BS in CS is going to tell a
- > Doctor in Physics how to structure his code? ;-).
-
- It sounds like these physicists aren't very good, since their egos are too
- big to let them condescend to using an expert just because that expert has
- less formal education than themselves. I wonder where these physicists get
- all the time to become expert software engineers.
- ___
- NEVIN ":-)" LIBER, RISC Porting Specialist/Blue Meanie, Mac System Software
- email: nevin@apple.com paper: Apple Computer, Inc.
- voice: (408) 974-MIX1 20525 Mariani Avenue, MS: 81-GC
- AppleLink: BADENOV Cupertino, CA 95014
-