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Do you need to learn C to have a successful career in CS or any other field? No. Should you learn it? Yes. Do you need to bake bread to eat it? No. Should you

Do you need to learn C to have a successful career in CS or any other field? No. Should you learn it? Yes. Do you need to bake bread to eat it? No. Should you learn to bake it? Yes. There are lots of things you should learn to do because they're useful and teach you about how the world works. The miracle of society is that you don't have to learn most of them to enjoy using them.

parliament32 8y ago
That bread analogy is on point. The old quote comes to mind, >A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. -- Robert Heinlein
- fermienrico 8y ago
  I disagree with the bread analogy being on point. For one, it misses the fact that learning how to bake it doesn't benefit the eating process. Whereas, learning how to code in C benefits (but is not required) in general programming. I understand that analogies are always compromises because there is always going to be something that differs from the original motif. Also, analogies should be used when the motif is complicated with many layers of abstraction and using one adds something - whether it is clarity, succicicty or reduction of abstraction. In the case of parent comment, it is not too difficult to understand the original motif. So, the bread analogy adds virtually nothing to it.
  - steveklabnik 8y ago
    > For one, it misses the fact that learning how to bake it doesn't benefit the eating process. Maybe it works differently for bread, but with whisky, learning how it has made has certainly enhanced my consumption, if only to give me the language needed to describe flavors and compare and contrast.
- Koshkin 8y ago
  Learning to read Ancient Greek should be on that list.
  - n4r9 8y ago
    I would add being able to clean & jerk your own body-weight, swim a mile, and be able to barter with anyone from any culture.
- n4r9 8y ago
  Worth noting that Heinlein didn't necessarily actually believe this himself. It's spoken by one of the many classic polymath characters which he liked to include in his stories.
laveur 8y ago
Yes! I rarely use C these days to write Mobile Apps but knowing how to use C is absolutely great to be able to do some complicated things some times. It never hurts to be able know more than you need.

parliament32 8y ago

That bread analogy is on point. The old quote comes to mind, >A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. -- Robert Heinlein

fermienrico 8y ago
I disagree with the bread analogy being on point. For one, it misses the fact that learning how to bake it doesn't benefit the eating process. Whereas, learning how to code in C benefits (but is not required) in general programming. I understand that analogies are always compromises because there is always going to be something that differs from the original motif. Also, analogies should be used when the motif is complicated with many layers of abstraction and using one adds something - whether it is clarity, succicicty or reduction of abstraction. In the case of parent comment, it is not too difficult to understand the original motif. So, the bread analogy adds virtually nothing to it.
- steveklabnik 8y ago
  > For one, it misses the fact that learning how to bake it doesn't benefit the eating process. Maybe it works differently for bread, but with whisky, learning how it has made has certainly enhanced my consumption, if only to give me the language needed to describe flavors and compare and contrast.
Koshkin 8y ago
Learning to read Ancient Greek should be on that list.
- n4r9 8y ago
  I would add being able to clean & jerk your own body-weight, swim a mile, and be able to barter with anyone from any culture.
n4r9 8y ago
Worth noting that Heinlein didn't necessarily actually believe this himself. It's spoken by one of the many classic polymath characters which he liked to include in his stories.

laveur 8y ago

Yes! I rarely use C these days to write Mobile Apps but knowing how to use C is absolutely great to be able to do some complicated things some times. It never hurts to be able know more than you need.