5 ms·

Poll: Change the name of computer science to informatics?

2 points by blintson 17y ago

I think the name should be changed, since it's not dependent on experimentation, and largely has nothing to do with the physical implementation of computers.

vena 17y ago
no, and i think you're misunderstanding the meaning of "computer" in this context.
- blintson 17y ago
  ??? An algorithm that executes in O(n) time executes in O(n) whether the computer is silicon, DNA, mechanical, vacuum tubes, or whatever else you build a Turing machine in. I think "computer", to most people almost always refers to the physical implementation of a computer.
  - scott_s 17y ago
    See: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=814632 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=814632 Once parallelism enters the picture, our analysis must change. We have to weigh communication costs as well as computation costs, and sometimes we actually want to pick an algorithm which would, in a sequential world, be significantly slower. In short, what "computer" you use can change how your analysis should proceed.
cesare 17y ago
FWIW, that's how it is called in Italy (informatica).
tudorachim 17y ago
Since this is an opinion poll, it should have the "It doesn't matter" option. That's the one I'd go for.
yannis 17y ago
Voted no and note if you call a mule a horse it will not make it so.
zeynel1 17y ago
"it's not dependent on experimentation..." therefore it should not be called science? Software development involves experimentation, testing, trial and error, measurement, standards, and it's much more rigorous than any science.
camccann 17y ago
Computer Science is a ill-advised conflation of two different fields, of which one is largely an engineering discipline and one is essentially applied mathematics that the engineering side draws upon for tools and techniques. Neither is a "science" under any plausible definition of the word.
Mongoose 17y ago
At least at my school (U of Washington), CSE and Informatics are completely different programs. Our Info department is basically information science, web design, and watered-down programming. They are two distinct disciplines and should not become one.
scott_s 17y ago
"Computer Science" encompasses fields that do depend on experimentation and are concerned with real implementations. There's more to Computer Science than theory. Related: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=690798 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=690798
- camccann 17y ago
  Being concerned with real implementations largely falls under the category of engineering, and I have yet to hear a concrete example of depending on experimentation that doesn't amount to "we have to use the scientific method to make sense of shoddy, undocumented work by other programmers", which I have a hard time regarding as central to the field, even if regrettably necessary.
  - scott_s 17y ago
    Computer systems are complex, and it's required to understand their performance behavior.

2 points by blintson 17y ago

I think the name should be changed, since it's not dependent on experimentation, and largely has nothing to do with the physical implementation of computers.

vena 17y ago

no, and i think you're misunderstanding the meaning of "computer" in this context.

blintson 17y ago
??? An algorithm that executes in O(n) time executes in O(n) whether the computer is silicon, DNA, mechanical, vacuum tubes, or whatever else you build a Turing machine in. I think "computer", to most people almost always refers to the physical implementation of a computer.
- scott_s 17y ago
  See: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=814632 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=814632 Once parallelism enters the picture, our analysis must change. We have to weigh communication costs as well as computation costs, and sometimes we actually want to pick an algorithm which would, in a sequential world, be significantly slower. In short, what "computer" you use can change how your analysis should proceed.

cesare 17y ago

FWIW, that's how it is called in Italy (informatica).

tudorachim 17y ago

Since this is an opinion poll, it should have the "It doesn't matter" option. That's the one I'd go for.

yannis 17y ago

Voted no and note if you call a mule a horse it will not make it so.

zeynel1 17y ago

"it's not dependent on experimentation..." therefore it should not be called science? Software development involves experimentation, testing, trial and error, measurement, standards, and it's much more rigorous than any science.

camccann 17y ago

Computer Science is a ill-advised conflation of two different fields, of which one is largely an engineering discipline and one is essentially applied mathematics that the engineering side draws upon for tools and techniques. Neither is a "science" under any plausible definition of the word.

Mongoose 17y ago

At least at my school (U of Washington), CSE and Informatics are completely different programs. Our Info department is basically information science, web design, and watered-down programming. They are two distinct disciplines and should not become one.

scott_s 17y ago

"Computer Science" encompasses fields that do depend on experimentation and are concerned with real implementations. There's more to Computer Science than theory. Related: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=690798 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=690798

camccann 17y ago
Being concerned with real implementations largely falls under the category of engineering, and I have yet to hear a concrete example of depending on experimentation that doesn't amount to "we have to use the scientific method to make sense of shoddy, undocumented work by other programmers", which I have a hard time regarding as central to the field, even if regrettably necessary.
- scott_s 17y ago
  Computer systems are complex, and it's required to understand their performance behavior.