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Junior people who are very good at CS often struggle with "real-world software". I had to explain to such a developer once why it was a bad idea to store multi
by borplk 10y ago
Junior people who are very good at CS often struggle with "real-world software".
I had to explain to such a developer once why it was a bad idea to store multiple values into a single database column.
It was a simple task of adding a few integer columns to a table but he couldn't let go of the "optimizations" in his mind about how he could use binary bits to represent what we wanted to represent and all that...
A person with good CS fundamentals need to go through some tough times for a few years at dev shops where the rubber meets the road and then they'll develop a technical taste.
- bigato 10y agoIf a guy does not understand the DB theory related to data normalization, I wouldn't call him good at CS. At least not DB related CS.
- matt_wulfeck 10y agoThe problem is he/she might be right in a vacuum. Denormalizing the data might be "100x faster!", but they're naive to every other technical non-technical burden that comes along with that decision. Part of our interview process is selecting for people who can come up with the most efficient answer, but efficiency is a squishy thing when you're a member of a team.
- lkitching 10y agoI wouldn't say someone who's never heard of first normal form has 'good CS fundamentals'.