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There's a parallel here that I've seen with new developers. Universities and bootcamps tend to focus on single journeys through software - "when the user does X

There's a parallel here that I've seen with new developers. Universities and bootcamps tend to focus on single journeys through software - "when the user does X, Y, and Z display this result". Then the dev comes to the horrible Real World where users do "X, X, X" or "Z, Y, X" or "X, Y, Volkswagon, Potato, Z" and they argue that The User Is Wrong, because they've only been taught about the happy path where users do what you thought they should do. I'm not suggesting that compsci teaching should change, but that there shouldn't be too much expectation that the theory taught to students probably should reflect the real world. The real world is too noisy. It'd be impossible to learn anything. Leave those lessons to experience.

BLKNSLVR 5y ago
Grossly off-topic, but your "Volkswagon, Potato" reminded me of Borges' riff on taxonomy[0]. This is probably exemplary of the kind of rabbit hole one can get lost in if attempting the "real world" application during the learning of difficult concepts. Best be introduced in a sterile environment, and leave it to the workplace to destroy one's worldview in order to for it to be rebuilt according to the reality of the local context. The list divides all animals into 14 categories: Those belonging to the Emperor Embalmed ones Trained ones Suckling pigs Mermaids (or sirens) Fabled ones Stray dogs Those included in this classification Those that tremble as if they were mad (this one's my favourite) Innumerable ones Those drawn with a very fine camel hair brush Et cetera Those that have just broken the vase Those that from afar look like flies [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_Emporium_of_Benevolent_Knowledge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_Emporium_of_Benevole... It's mind-altering. Re-visiting this list always reminds me of the infinite potential of absurdity.
- kgwgk 5y ago
  The number of categories reminds me of this footnote in another of his stories: "The original says fourteen, but there is ample reason to infer that, as used by Asterion, this numeral stands for infinite."

BLKNSLVR 5y ago

Grossly off-topic, but your "Volkswagon, Potato" reminded me of Borges' riff on taxonomy[0]. This is probably exemplary of the kind of rabbit hole one can get lost in if attempting the "real world" application during the learning of difficult concepts. Best be introduced in a sterile environment, and leave it to the workplace to destroy one's worldview in order to for it to be rebuilt according to the reality of the local context. The list divides all animals into 14 categories: Those belonging to the Emperor Embalmed ones Trained ones Suckling pigs Mermaids (or sirens) Fabled ones Stray dogs Those included in this classification Those that tremble as if they were mad (this one's my favourite) Innumerable ones Those drawn with a very fine camel hair brush Et cetera Those that have just broken the vase Those that from afar look like flies [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_Emporium_of_Benevolent_Knowledge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_Emporium_of_Benevole... It's mind-altering. Re-visiting this list always reminds me of the infinite potential of absurdity.

kgwgk 5y ago
The number of categories reminds me of this footnote in another of his stories: "The original says fourteen, but there is ample reason to infer that, as used by Asterion, this numeral stands for infinite."