At 1:42 PM -0400 4/23/08, Urb LeJeune wrote:
1. What's required to become certified (obvious);
To you is obvious, to me not so obvious :-) I know I sound
like a broken record but to me
programming is not about syntax it's about logic and problem solving.
No, you took the word obvious to mean something not intended. I mean
that it's obvious that certification will require some sort of
testing for qualifications.
What isn't obvious are the qualifications of the organization that
will determine those. Understand?
Many years ago Edsger Dijkstr, one of the giants of computer
science, wrote an article
suggesting that a first course in computer programming be taught
without using a computer.
At the time I thought he was nuts, but after teaching introductory
programming for many years
I agree with the concept. Especially in the beginning, syntax get is
the way of solving problems.
Any non-trivial problem will have multiple solutions. How does one
determine if their approach
is the "best" solution to the problem and not simple a solution that
works. In my experience
elegant (read simple) solutions do not happen while you sit at a
keyboard but rather sitting in
a quite place with a pad and pencil.
If you've never read "Programming Pearls" by Jon Bentley,
beg, borrow, or steal a copy
and read it. It will change the way you look at programming.
I think I read the first edition published in the 80's -- it sounds
familiar. And I've probably read at least hundred other programming
books in more languages than I care to remember over the last of 40+
years. In addition I've read literally scores of algorithm, fuzzy
logic, genetic learning, problem analysis, matrix theory, spacial
relationships, digital filters, signal analysis, data processing,
chaos theory, AI, and a host of other computer related material.
Currently, I read about a book a week -- I am currently reading
jQuery and last week it was DOM scripting. Next week? Who knows?
So, I thank you for your suggestion, but I've been there.
Cheers,
tedd
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