On Jan 21, 2009, at 7:01 AM, Xiaofan Chen wrote:

> I am not so sure if it is really necessary to promote computer  
> literacy through programming

Not anymore.  I've been somewhat amused (and somewhat depressed) at  
the rate of change of what constitutes "computer literacy."  All those  
people from the mid 1980s being taught about floppy disks...  And the  
poor public schools; it's one thing to teach a subject where there  
might be a significant change every decade or so, and quite another  
when the changes outweigh the constants after only half a decade...

tMMM was originally published in 1975, rather before any personal  
computers hit mainstream, and when MOST computers were mainframes.  I  
should read my copy.  I suspect it mostly concerns the rather rare  
mainframe programmers of the good old days.


> and to be honest I have never found programming really fun

I'm sorry to hear that.  We need you EE types as well :-)


> I've also known quite some programmers and I do not think they are
> really having fun with programming after a while. I think programming
> in the 21st century becomes quite different from the 20th century.

Yes.  There are a lot more programmers than there used to be, and the  
effort to "manage software development in a scientific (say the  
managers) method" is stronger (though I'm not sure it's much more  
successful.)

Part of the reason I program micros is that they're "fun" compared to  
the managed multi-megabyte monstrosities that make up "work."   But I  
haven't yet succumbed to running an emulator for one of the old  
mainframes, and doing my recreational programming there.  As some of  
my former co-workers seem to have done. (WTH; PIC assembly is just as  
obscure!)

BillW

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