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Computer Science, as a field is very mature, and as a result, very specialized in its research (though I disagree with the idea that core algorithm research is

by far33d 19y ago

Computer Science, as a field is very mature, and as a result, very specialized in its research (though I disagree with the idea that core algorithm research is more relevant for the average developer than what you call fads). The best thing to do is to first get more specific: what kind of algorithm? Is it database implementations? Virtualization techniques? Filesystem optimization? Graphics hardware? Programming languages? Then, find the appropriate journals. Get an ACM membership so you can search and get full text of the library.

juwo 19y ago
"find the appropriate journals. Get an ACM membership so you can search and get full text of the library" for developers with full time jobs?
- nostrademons 19y ago
  How else are you gonna pay for the ACM membership? ;-) Really, it's a matter of making time for reading and learning. Pick up a paper sometime at night when you don't feel like coding and would otherwise watch TV. Or print it out and read it on the subway or carpool. You also mentioned Cormen being too hard for the "average developer" and covering stuff you didn't learn in college. Cormen is intended as a textbook for later undergrads or early grad student courses. If you didn't learn the material in college, Cormen is your chance to learn it. And you have to treat it just like you're in college again - really, you can't expect to just magically know things. The whole point is to learn from it - if it covered stuff you already knew, there'd be no reason to read it.
  - far33d 19y ago
    They made ACM with digital library close to $200... ugh.
  - juwo 19y ago
    clarification: Cormen is wonderfully easy to read, relatively speaking. I learnt from Automata Theory, Formal Languages, and Computation, by Aho, Hopcroft, Ullman. That was hard :)
jamesbritt 19y ago
> Computer Science, as a field is very mature, CS is less than 100 years old. How do you see it as "mature"?
- far33d 19y ago
  Mature in that there are many sub-disciplines and an extremely large academic community that studies and researches very specific aspects.
menloparkbum 19y ago
CS could better be described as moribund rather than mature. The reason why nobody has taken the time to create a digest of academic computer science papers (other than the ACM) is because 90% of such papers are not worth reading.

by far33d 19y ago

juwo 19y ago

"find the appropriate journals. Get an ACM membership so you can search and get full text of the library" for developers with full time jobs?

nostrademons 19y ago
How else are you gonna pay for the ACM membership? ;-) Really, it's a matter of making time for reading and learning. Pick up a paper sometime at night when you don't feel like coding and would otherwise watch TV. Or print it out and read it on the subway or carpool. You also mentioned Cormen being too hard for the "average developer" and covering stuff you didn't learn in college. Cormen is intended as a textbook for later undergrads or early grad student courses. If you didn't learn the material in college, Cormen is your chance to learn it. And you have to treat it just like you're in college again - really, you can't expect to just magically know things. The whole point is to learn from it - if it covered stuff you already knew, there'd be no reason to read it.
- far33d 19y ago
  They made ACM with digital library close to $200... ugh.
- juwo 19y ago
  clarification: Cormen is wonderfully easy to read, relatively speaking. I learnt from Automata Theory, Formal Languages, and Computation, by Aho, Hopcroft, Ullman. That was hard :)

jamesbritt 19y ago

> Computer Science, as a field is very mature, CS is less than 100 years old. How do you see it as "mature"?

far33d 19y ago
Mature in that there are many sub-disciplines and an extremely large academic community that studies and researches very specific aspects.

menloparkbum 19y ago

CS could better be described as moribund rather than mature. The reason why nobody has taken the time to create a digest of academic computer science papers (other than the ACM) is because 90% of such papers are not worth reading.