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This results in people like a friend of mine, who has a Masters degree in computer science... yet I had to walk her through swapping out the power supply in her

by mrbill 12y ago

This results in people like a friend of mine, who has a Masters degree in computer science... yet I had to walk her through swapping out the power supply in her PC.

CocaKoala 12y ago
What should having a master's degree in computer science indicate about somebody's ability to swap out a power supply? I'm curious.
- mrbill 12y ago
  I would think that someone who would go so far as to get a masters degree in a topic would also be curious enough to know exactly how some of the tools used in that field plug together and work? Am I wrong here?
  - CocaKoala 12y ago
    Maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong. But the power supply and the case are probably the two least interesting parts of the computer to somebody with a Master's degree in CS; it may well be the case that she knows a lot about the cache in her cpu and the various sockets in her motherboard, and she just doesn't care about the PSU because as long as it supplies enough power, it's boring. Also, let's be clear here. At heart, building your own computer is like playing with Lego, except that each piece is very expensive and you're terrified of breaking it. Plus there's probably a specific order you need to follow to make sure everything fits properly, but you get no instructions about what that order is, because it depends entirely on what pieces you bought. Also, if you don't already know what you're doing, it's entirely possible to buy pieces that just plain don't fit together and you won't realize it until you're elbow deep in the case searching for a socket that just plain doesn't exist. As somebody who has gotten a master's degree in computer science and also built his own computer, I definitely feel like the master's degree was far more interesting of an endeavor and if somebody said "I'm really interested in computers, but not in putting them together; it seems like just putting tab A into slot A but all of the tabs and slots are poorly labeled", I'd nod my head and say "Yeah, that's basically it. I enjoyed building my own, but it's not for everybody".
avz 12y ago
Everybody's knowledge breaks down if you dig deep enough. You can for example ask how to produce the metal for the wiring of that power supply and from which minerals and ores. You don't need to know this since this isn't computer science and other people provide the materials for you. So the issue boils down to two questions. A philosophical one and a practical one. Does understanding of the power supply belong to computer science or to some other discipline, like electrical engineering? Do you need to swap your power supply on your own or can you rely on other people offering this as a service? Apple's move to prevent users from replacing batteries in iPhones offers an interesting perspective here.
Sirenos 12y ago
Except computer science isn't about hardware.
- aet 12y ago
  "A computer scientist specializes in the theory of computation and the design of computational systems." Computer science is about hardware e.g. VLSI. It is a shame that CS undergrads aren't forced to learn a little more about circuits, etc

by mrbill 12y ago

This results in people like a friend of mine, who has a Masters degree in computer science... yet I had to walk her through swapping out the power supply in her PC.

CocaKoala 12y ago

What should having a master's degree in computer science indicate about somebody's ability to swap out a power supply? I'm curious.

mrbill 12y ago
I would think that someone who would go so far as to get a masters degree in a topic would also be curious enough to know exactly how some of the tools used in that field plug together and work? Am I wrong here?
- CocaKoala 12y ago
  Maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong. But the power supply and the case are probably the two least interesting parts of the computer to somebody with a Master's degree in CS; it may well be the case that she knows a lot about the cache in her cpu and the various sockets in her motherboard, and she just doesn't care about the PSU because as long as it supplies enough power, it's boring. Also, let's be clear here. At heart, building your own computer is like playing with Lego, except that each piece is very expensive and you're terrified of breaking it. Plus there's probably a specific order you need to follow to make sure everything fits properly, but you get no instructions about what that order is, because it depends entirely on what pieces you bought. Also, if you don't already know what you're doing, it's entirely possible to buy pieces that just plain don't fit together and you won't realize it until you're elbow deep in the case searching for a socket that just plain doesn't exist. As somebody who has gotten a master's degree in computer science and also built his own computer, I definitely feel like the master's degree was far more interesting of an endeavor and if somebody said "I'm really interested in computers, but not in putting them together; it seems like just putting tab A into slot A but all of the tabs and slots are poorly labeled", I'd nod my head and say "Yeah, that's basically it. I enjoyed building my own, but it's not for everybody".

avz 12y ago

Everybody's knowledge breaks down if you dig deep enough. You can for example ask how to produce the metal for the wiring of that power supply and from which minerals and ores. You don't need to know this since this isn't computer science and other people provide the materials for you. So the issue boils down to two questions. A philosophical one and a practical one. Does understanding of the power supply belong to computer science or to some other discipline, like electrical engineering? Do you need to swap your power supply on your own or can you rely on other people offering this as a service? Apple's move to prevent users from replacing batteries in iPhones offers an interesting perspective here.

Sirenos 12y ago

Except computer science isn't about hardware.

aet 12y ago
"A computer scientist specializes in the theory of computation and the design of computational systems." Computer science is about hardware e.g. VLSI. It is a shame that CS undergrads aren't forced to learn a little more about circuits, etc