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> My reason is that I have difficulty calling someone a "fantastic developer" if they don't have a basic understanding of algorithms, data structures and system

• scott_s 16y ago
  I think you mean plumbing in the sense of connecting already existed components. I'll grant that. But would you consider someone who can only do that a fantastic developer? And, yes, I know we're discussing almost pure semantics.
  • anamax 16y ago
    > But would you consider someone who can only do that a fantastic developer? In some circumstances yes, in others, no. We don't expect medical doctors to be good at everything, we don't expect jet engine mechanics to understand diesels, and so on, so why would we judge software folk based on some universal standard? Let's look at it from the other side. If someone isn't very good at plumbing (or floating point, or crypto, etc), does mean that said someone is not a fantastic developer?
    • scott_s 16y ago
      But we do judge doctor's based on a universal standard. They go through medical school, which contains subjects we expect them to at least be familiar with. Over time, formal learning in courses fades, but there is still a core of medical knowledge that we expect any practicing doctor to have. I'm suggesting that the basics of algorithms and data structures is that core for developers.