Re: [Omaha.pm] [olug] Bash TCP scripting

[Jay Hannah <jay@jays.net>]

On Dec 31, 2007, at 5:04 PM, Larson, Timothy E. wrote:
> Maybe the profs were just advising that you be really conservative  
> with expectations, or something.


Uh oh. Now I'm going to get in trouble.

I just finished a C++ class @ UNO 2 weeks ago. In terms of just  
solving the problem one of the homework assignments was 400 lines of C 
++ or 6 lines of Perl.

In the assignment's defense, the point wasn't just to solve the  
problem -- it was to do it with a specific framework so hopefully the  
student understands a scalable way to solve much larger, much less  
trivial problems.

It appears to me that CS classes aren't designed to make you the most  
efficient real-world problem solver.* Instead, I think they're  
designed to force you through thought processes about how to build  
things given a certain toolset. So, I suspect many CS profs don't  
stay on top of the most current specialized tools to solve specific  
problems. (Except, of course, the faculty members on this mailing  
list? -grin-) I think they tend towards general, "universal" tools  
applicable to extremely wide problem domains.

(Incidentally, so far in my career C++ has never been the right tool  
for the jobs I do. But perhaps I'm sheltered / spoiled / cursed? -grin-)

Rumor has it UNO is switching some of their courses from C++ to Java  
in 2008. So I think their CS language menu will be Perl, C, and Java  
now. I'm not sure if there's any Python left? Bob?

How was that for wandering way off topic?  :)

j


* Causing occasional frustrated cursing from yours truly.