Jamie,
I have reordered your discussion
> I would therefore contend that to the question "Do you
>understand the hello-world program?", all C programmers
>(averrals to the contrary notwithstanding) should reasonably
>answer "yes".
Given this assertion you would agree that there is a decision
procedure for deciding whether somebody understands this
program (they have been sent by a recruitment agency and their
CV claims they understand the hello world program).
Being suitable cynical of recruitment agencies you want to
test this claim. Not knowing C (for the sake of this argument)
you have commissioned a consultant to write you a list of
questions to ask, along with the required answers.
Do the answers have to be word perfect? Perhaps multiple
choice would be simpler. Would 9 out of 10 correct ticks in
the box equal program understanding?
> Now for the hello-world program. I would contend that we
>intend that program, and most such programs, to produce the
>mental state in which I (or some other user) am convinced that I
>have been able to compile and run a small program on the
>platform on which I have been working.
There are classes of persons who might be said to possess very
similar mental models of computer operations and the C language.
One such class are those many users of Microsoft C under
Windows 9?, all working in the same development group. They know
a single compiler and a single OS, they only talk to each other. Their
mental models tend to be remarkably similar.
Show the hello world program to this group and they are all
likely to form the same mental model of it. Each of these people
could be said to understand every other persons, in the group, model
of the program. Through in a Linux programmer and we no longer
have harmony...
I am way out of my depth here. Somebody please rescue me, or
put me out of my misery quickly.
derek
--
Derek M Jones tel: +44 (0) 1252
520 667
Knowledge Software Ltd mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Applications Standards Conformance Testing http://www.knosof.co.uk
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