On Mon, Feb 29, 2016 at 5:38 PM, Bennet Fauber <[email protected]> wrote: > Should we not mistake the tool for the task? A hammer and a > screwdriver are different tools for different tasks, but if a > screwdriver with a 2" shaft and one with a 4" shaft will both tighten > and loosen the same screw, who's to say that one is the 'right' one to > use? As Greg's pointed out, we teach the tools, but really we're > trying to teach the practices.
I try my best to emphasize that these are just tools, and that there are other tools that do the same things (and even try to name them). I also try to point out, when teaching git for example, what concepts apply to version control in general, and which ones are specific to git. Same for Python vs. other programming languages, etc. The problem is, depending on the level of the workshop, one can get too bogged down the details of one particular tool and lose the forest through the trees. This has always been a difficult balance to strike. But using version control--*any* version control, and I include Dropbox in that, is vastly better than Thesis_version1.doc, Thesis_version2.doc, Thesis_version2(revised).doc, etc... It needs to be clear, even within the rubric of "each to their own ability", that that is NOT version control at all (even if it bares some similarities). Though now that I've said that I feel like I need to define my terms here.... :) Erik _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.software-carpentry.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.software-carpentry.org
