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The 'Dick' he writes about didn't know functional programming concepts in early 2000s. If HN existed at that time, you probably could have said that about the H

The 'Dick' he writes about didn't know functional programming concepts in early 2000s. If HN existed at that time, you probably could have said that about the HN readers. OOP was the big deal then and the majority of non-MS programmers didn't grasp functional style either. I sure didn't in 2001. The author is an idiot.

seiji 16y ago
You're missing the age of Dick. If Dick is 18, sure, it's excusable. If Dick has been programming for 30 years, his lack of knowledge isn't so excusable (assuming one's goal is to amass 'knowledge'). So many Kids These Days feel the entirety of Computer Science and Programming has been developed since 2000. I'm pretty sure LISP and functional programming existed in literature, learning, and practice before early 2000s.
- kenjackson 16y ago
  Unless your an encyclopedia or going on Jeopardy! I don't think that amassing knowledge is a very interesting goal. To each their own, but I think creation is a lot better than amassing knowledge. And to be honest, there was little practice in Lisp before 2000... and frankly little after 2000.
  - chc 16y ago
    Creation without understanding is shallow. You don't just learn the technique of playing piano and then crank out beautiful symphonies. You don't learn how to draw a blueprint and create world-class architecture. You don't memorize the times table and start doing advanced physics calculations. Knowledge of the history and state of the art is a huge component in creating great things. And the statement that there's "little practice" in Lisp is a statement about the current mindset of most programmers, not about the language itself. Whether it's useful is orthogonal to whether people use it.
    - kenjackson 16y ago
      Understanding necessary for creation is... well... necessary. But "amassing knowledge" is simply amassing knowledge. I can amass knowledge all day long, but if I don't understand or create it really is simply mental masturbation. And my statement about Lisp was just about the state of the world. It's a fine language, but we shouldn't pretend that its used more than it is. Actually in teaching it is used a fair bit, and teaching is practice of a sort.

seiji 16y ago

You're missing the age of Dick. If Dick is 18, sure, it's excusable. If Dick has been programming for 30 years, his lack of knowledge isn't so excusable (assuming one's goal is to amass 'knowledge'). So many Kids These Days feel the entirety of Computer Science and Programming has been developed since 2000. I'm pretty sure LISP and functional programming existed in literature, learning, and practice before early 2000s.

kenjackson 16y ago
Unless your an encyclopedia or going on Jeopardy! I don't think that amassing knowledge is a very interesting goal. To each their own, but I think creation is a lot better than amassing knowledge. And to be honest, there was little practice in Lisp before 2000... and frankly little after 2000.
- chc 16y ago
  Creation without understanding is shallow. You don't just learn the technique of playing piano and then crank out beautiful symphonies. You don't learn how to draw a blueprint and create world-class architecture. You don't memorize the times table and start doing advanced physics calculations. Knowledge of the history and state of the art is a huge component in creating great things. And the statement that there's "little practice" in Lisp is a statement about the current mindset of most programmers, not about the language itself. Whether it's useful is orthogonal to whether people use it.
  - kenjackson 16y ago
    Understanding necessary for creation is... well... necessary. But "amassing knowledge" is simply amassing knowledge. I can amass knowledge all day long, but if I don't understand or create it really is simply mental masturbation. And my statement about Lisp was just about the state of the world. It's a fine language, but we shouldn't pretend that its used more than it is. Actually in teaching it is used a fair bit, and teaching is practice of a sort.