The students are not dumb. They lack leadership and direction. Sometimes it helps to be shown where to dig for gold. hehhe On Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 7:25 PM, Okechukwu <okechukwu@gmail.com> wrote:

Plain dumb student coz no one is taught how to use google in school

./Ok3ch

On Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 7:22 PM, Kibe Wachira <kiffea@gmail.com> wrote:

...

No offence but just got this chat from a university student doing their final year project

"Hi, Please when can i meet you? I just want you to help me codes for uploading photo, calculating grand total for the the products selected in the order form and also how to generate sales report."

i started asking myself how a fourth year student would be wanting to be shown how to code such stuff and further more there is google at their disposal. Are universities at fault here or is it really the student!!

-- kind regards, kibe wachira. software developer. tel:+254721888474 email:kiffea@gmail.com

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in the 4th year, people are always tied down with projects while others are just busy making use of the left time On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 7:50 AM, Moses <mosenetk@gmail.com> wrote:

In 4th year of college??? On 26 Feb 2013 07:29, "Nick Developer" <niodanga@gmail.com> wrote:

...

The students are not dumb. They lack leadership and direction. Sometimes it helps to be shown where to dig for gold. hehhe

On Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 7:25 PM, Okechukwu <okechukwu@gmail.com> wrote:

...

Plain dumb student coz no one is taught how to use google in school

./Ok3ch

On Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 7:22 PM, Kibe Wachira <kiffea@gmail.com> wrote:

...

No offence but just got this chat from a university student doing their final year project

"Hi, Please when can i meet you? I just want you to help me codes for uploading photo, calculating grand total for the the products selected in the order form and also how to generate sales report."

i started asking myself how a fourth year student would be wanting to be shown how to code such stuff and further more there is google at their disposal. Are universities at fault here or is it really the student!!

-- kind regards, kibe wachira. software developer. tel:+254721888474 email:kiffea@gmail.com

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I could be wrong but my opinion is that one of the biggest problems is that those who teach coding in Kenyan schools *mostly* have never done substantially large software projects. In the end they give students toy examples that only serve to reinforce theoretical concepts from class which are at times far from what is experienced "out there". On the other hand, class alone is not and can never be sufficient to train effective software development. That is why there are pretty marvellous coders with backgrounds in the Arts, Philosophy and Physics, etc. They tend to be driven by the fact that they came to the field by necessity and tackle actual problems they face. Martin. On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 8:42 AM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:

This happens when people enroll for courses because they are marketable, rather than due to passion. I have seen brilliant accountants who could barely code studying comp science. They now work in the accounting and auditing field.

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Having done a CS unit - HCI, under two lecturers after "failing" the first time, it is also important to note that content for the same unit varies inconsistently depending on who teaches it. Some universities have quite unqualified staff, who barely have a grasp on what they teach. I understand its quite difficult for universities to get rid of such stuff due to inside cartels and the powerful unions which protect such people. Alternative is for university to employ qualified staff and keep the unqualified guys on payroll with few or no classes. Classes also tend to be big, 200 students in a room designed for 30 or 60 students.

@Clare, It is wrong to first assume that a young person lacks initiative or self-drive. In the first place, he came to the university because he figured he couldnt hack it by himself. That is some form of initiative right there that any lecturer could work with to mould the young mind into a great skunker/ette. Of course, there are those who are simply fulfilling their parents' wishes to complete a 4-year 'marketable' course, but i think those are the minority. Many more enthusiastic young people get into class only to be met by lecturers who recycle class notes and do not have an idea what new technologies are driving the world outside that class. Our real problem I think is staffing. How I wish Comp Sc lecturers were sourced directly from this forum! Or perhaps, what the students need is mentoring ? -- Ndungi Kyalo On 26 February 2013 11:11, Clare N <101stylz@gmail.com> wrote:

+1 Nick. Some students come with basic MS-word knowledge only.

But miaka nne pia ni mob sana not to have caught up. Zero ambition/self-drive.

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Wow @Claire, kudos to you. That is quite admirable actually. I also hope that after you are done you can mentor another one and another one who feels like giving up on CS because it seems too daunting or the lectures are a raw deal. On university staffing, I am trying to say that though most people here have come this far due to God's grace (and pure grit), it doesnt have to be that way. Not every one is Chuck Norris or McGyver you know :) . One way or another, we will need to produce a lot more superb programmers, systems analysts, ai experts, dba's etc for a young economy as ours. Self-drive and initiative will work for us as individuals but the big picture demands we do more for the sake of others as well. -- Ndungi Kyalo On 26 February 2013 15:04, Clare N <101stylz@gmail.com> wrote:

@Ndungi I only say this coz 4 years ago I was that ms-word student but I have self taught myself EVERY language n tech skill I know. Whether or not u lyk ur course, its up to you to figure stuff out... Instead of waiting for a miracle, go out and make one. On Feb 26, 2013 2:55 PM, "Ndungi Kyalo" <ndungi@gmail.com> wrote:

...

@Clare, It is wrong to first assume that a young person lacks initiative or self-drive. In the first place, he came to the university because he figured he couldnt hack it by himself. That is some form of initiative right there that any lecturer could work with to mould the young mind into a great skunker/ette. Of course, there are those who are simply fulfilling their parents' wishes to complete a 4-year 'marketable' course, but i think those are the minority. Many more enthusiastic young people get into class only to be met by lecturers who recycle class notes and do not have an idea what new technologies are driving the world outside that class.

Our real problem I think is staffing. How I wish Comp Sc lecturers were sourced directly from this forum!

Or perhaps, what the students need is mentoring ?

-- Ndungi Kyalo

On 26 February 2013 11:11, Clare N <101stylz@gmail.com> wrote:

...

+1 Nick. Some students come with basic MS-word knowledge only.

But miaka nne pia ni mob sana not to have caught up. Zero ambition/self-drive.

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All this time av been thinking this CS is CSharp :( so its commuter Science. All said, I think these classes and courses are necessary. Some of the things like software life cycle and other things on taking-on large Software projects come in hardy. For some of us who started with a pan and a 'Cook what You May' philosophy have had it hard documenting such things that the Mgt of companies want to see before you start the cooking. Though we learn through google and 'please forward me ...' , if well taught in colleges, this would make the lifes of skunks/ettes bit easier out here. And of course I echo self effort above all which matters after all the helping we get after being mentored like i have been by a one Ndungi Kyalo and Frankline Chitwa both in this forum here. Rgds *_______________________________________________________________ We must Keep on, * On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 3:42 PM, Ndungi Kyalo <ndungi@gmail.com> wrote:

Wow @Claire, kudos to you. That is quite admirable actually. I also hope that after you are done you can mentor another one and another one who feels like giving up on CS because it seems too daunting or the lectures are a raw deal. On university staffing, I am trying to say that though most people here have come this far due to God's grace (and pure grit), it doesnt have to be that way. Not every one is Chuck Norris or McGyver you know :) . One way or another, we will need to produce a lot more superb programmers, systems analysts, ai experts, dba's etc for a young economy as ours. Self-drive and initiative will work for us as individuals but the big picture demands we do more for the sake of others as well. -- Ndungi Kyalo

On 26 February 2013 15:04, Clare N <101stylz@gmail.com> wrote:

...

@Ndungi I only say this coz 4 years ago I was that ms-word student but I have self taught myself EVERY language n tech skill I know. Whether or not u lyk ur course, its up to you to figure stuff out... Instead of waiting for a miracle, go out and make one. On Feb 26, 2013 2:55 PM, "Ndungi Kyalo" <ndungi@gmail.com> wrote:

...

@Clare, It is wrong to first assume that a young person lacks initiative or self-drive. In the first place, he came to the university because he figured he couldnt hack it by himself. That is some form of initiative right there that any lecturer could work with to mould the young mind into a great skunker/ette. Of course, there are those who are simply fulfilling their parents' wishes to complete a 4-year 'marketable' course, but i think those are the minority. Many more enthusiastic young people get into class only to be met by lecturers who recycle class notes and do not have an idea what new technologies are driving the world outside that class.

Our real problem I think is staffing. How I wish Comp Sc lecturers were sourced directly from this forum!

Or perhaps, what the students need is mentoring ?

-- Ndungi Kyalo

On 26 February 2013 11:11, Clare N <101stylz@gmail.com> wrote:

...

+1 Nick. Some students come with basic MS-word knowledge only.

But miaka nne pia ni mob sana not to have caught up. Zero ambition/self-drive.

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I went to Stanford (but do I say), er, online classes for a week. The CS101 was very deep from the word go. The CS department had (or has) it's own flavour of Eclipse IDE and you get real hands-on java training. I feel my love for java was lost when all i learnt was Person = new Person. I am not saying we should be like Stanford but in that 1 week I realized there is a very big difference between my degree and Stanford CS degree. PS: I decided to drop out after a week after seeing what it means to be a Stanford dropout. Feel free to add me to your network :) On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 5:27 PM, Peter Karunyu <pkarunyu@gmail.com> wrote:

Guys, you are all forgetting one thing: the mindset of a Kenyan academician is totally different from that of a professional on the field.

Academicians want to produce *well rounded graduates*, this basically means they will teach a little bit of everything; Pascal, C, C++ and Java, HIV&AIDS, Organic Chemistry, Communication Skills, Psychology 101, Ethics etc to a CS student.

What the market needs is a *sharp edged graduate, *someone who can hit the ground and make a mark, the day after graduation.

That said, without self drive to teach themselves stuff, a CS graduate will be less than ideal.

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 3:59 PM, joe mwirigi <joemwirigi@gmail.com> wrote:

...

All this time av been thinking this CS is CSharp :( so its commuter Science.

All said, I think these classes and courses are necessary. Some of the things like software life cycle and other things on taking-on large Software projects come in hardy. For some of us who started with a pan and a 'Cook what You May' philosophy have had it hard documenting such things that the Mgt of companies want to see before you start the cooking. Though we learn through google and 'please forward me ...' , if well taught in colleges,

this would make the lifes of skunks/ettes bit easier out here.

And of course I echo self effort above all which matters after all the helping we get after being mentored like i have been by a one Ndungi Kyalo and Frankline Chitwa both in this forum here.

Rgds

*_______________________________________________________________ We must Keep on, *

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 3:42 PM, Ndungi Kyalo <ndungi@gmail.com> wrote:

...

Wow @Claire, kudos to you. That is quite admirable actually. I also hope that after you are done you can mentor another one and another one who feels like giving up on CS because it seems too daunting or the lectures are a raw deal. On university staffing, I am trying to say that though most people here have come this far due to God's grace (and pure grit), it doesnt have to be that way. Not every one is Chuck Norris or McGyver you know :) . One way or another, we will need to produce a lot more superb programmers, systems analysts, ai experts, dba's etc for a young economy as ours. Self-drive and initiative will work for us as individuals but the big picture demands we do more for the sake of others as well. -- Ndungi Kyalo

On 26 February 2013 15:04, Clare N <101stylz@gmail.com> wrote:

...

@Ndungi I only say this coz 4 years ago I was that ms-word student but I have self taught myself EVERY language n tech skill I know. Whether or not u lyk ur course, its up to you to figure stuff out... Instead of waiting for a miracle, go out and make one. On Feb 26, 2013 2:55 PM, "Ndungi Kyalo" <ndungi@gmail.com> wrote:

...

@Clare, It is wrong to first assume that a young person lacks initiative or self-drive. In the first place, he came to the university because he figured he couldnt hack it by himself. That is some form of initiative right there that any lecturer could work with to mould the young mind into a great skunker/ette. Of course, there are those who are simply fulfilling their parents' wishes to complete a 4-year 'marketable' course, but i think those are the minority. Many more enthusiastic young people get into class only to be met by lecturers who recycle class notes and do not have an idea what new technologies are driving the world outside that class.

Our real problem I think is staffing. How I wish Comp Sc lecturers were sourced directly from this forum!

Or perhaps, what the students need is mentoring ?

-- Ndungi Kyalo

On 26 February 2013 11:11, Clare N <101stylz@gmail.com> wrote:

...

+1 Nick. Some students come with basic MS-word knowledge only.

But miaka nne pia ni mob sana not to have caught up. Zero ambition/self-drive.

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-- Regards, Peter Karunyu -------------------

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I have never attended a CS course! Is it me or is computer science meant to be more than coding and computer languages like Java or python, thought it was more about the science of computers that is algorithms, storage, transmission etc i mean it's the science that makes it all come together. Most of us are good at using computer languages to write programs but how many can actually write the the language, or better yet really explain it. Always thought a CS course was more than high level languages that you can teach yourself and more about the nuts and bolts the stuff that makes data storage possible, the storage sizes getting bigger as the physical size gets smaller - that's computer science. On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 4:34 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:

Meanwhile, in the US, they can't find 1 million CS graduates http://dthin.gs/ZGhaoD On Feb 26, 2013 5:46 PM, "Bwana Lawi" <mail2lawi@gmail.com> wrote:

...

I went to Stanford (but do I say), er, online classes for a week. The CS101 was very deep from the word go. The CS department had (or has) it's own flavour of Eclipse IDE and you get real hands-on java training.

I feel my love for java was lost when all i learnt was Person = new Person.

I am not saying we should be like Stanford but in that 1 week I realized there is a very big difference between my degree and Stanford CS degree.

PS: I decided to drop out after a week after seeing what it means to be a Stanford dropout. Feel free to add me to your network :)

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 5:27 PM, Peter Karunyu <pkarunyu@gmail.com>wrote:

...

Guys, you are all forgetting one thing: the mindset of a Kenyan academician is totally different from that of a professional on the field.

Academicians want to produce *well rounded graduates*, this basically means they will teach a little bit of everything; Pascal, C, C++ and Java, HIV&AIDS, Organic Chemistry, Communication Skills, Psychology 101, Ethics etc to a CS student.

What the market needs is a *sharp edged graduate, *someone who can hit the ground and make a mark, the day after graduation.

That said, without self drive to teach themselves stuff, a CS graduate will be less than ideal.

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 3:59 PM, joe mwirigi <joemwirigi@gmail.com>wrote:

...

All this time av been thinking this CS is CSharp :( so its commuter Science.

All said, I think these classes and courses are necessary. Some of the things like software life cycle and other things on taking-on large Software projects come in hardy. For some of us who started with a pan and a 'Cook what You May' philosophy have had it hard documenting such things that the Mgt of companies want to see before you start the cooking. Though we learn through google and 'please forward me ...' , if well taught in colleges,

this would make the lifes of skunks/ettes bit easier out here.

And of course I echo self effort above all which matters after all the helping we get after being mentored like i have been by a one Ndungi Kyalo and Frankline Chitwa both in this forum here.

Rgds

*_______________________________________________________________ We must Keep on, *

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 3:42 PM, Ndungi Kyalo <ndungi@gmail.com> wrote:

...

Wow @Claire, kudos to you. That is quite admirable actually. I also hope that after you are done you can mentor another one and another one who feels like giving up on CS because it seems too daunting or the lectures are a raw deal. On university staffing, I am trying to say that though most people here have come this far due to God's grace (and pure grit), it doesnt have to be that way. Not every one is Chuck Norris or McGyver you know :) . One way or another, we will need to produce a lot more superb programmers, systems analysts, ai experts, dba's etc for a young economy as ours. Self-drive and initiative will work for us as individuals but the big picture demands we do more for the sake of others as well. -- Ndungi Kyalo

On 26 February 2013 15:04, Clare N <101stylz@gmail.com> wrote:

...

@Ndungi I only say this coz 4 years ago I was that ms-word student but I have self taught myself EVERY language n tech skill I know. Whether or not u lyk ur course, its up to you to figure stuff out... Instead of waiting for a miracle, go out and make one. On Feb 26, 2013 2:55 PM, "Ndungi Kyalo" <ndungi@gmail.com> wrote:

> @Clare, It is wrong to first assume that a young person lacks > initiative or self-drive. In the first place, he came to the university > because he figured he couldnt hack it by himself. That is some form of > initiative right there that any lecturer could work with to mould the young > mind into a great skunker/ette. Of course, there are those who are simply > fulfilling their parents' wishes to complete a 4-year 'marketable' course, > but i think those are the minority. Many more enthusiastic young people get > into class only to be met by lecturers who recycle class notes and do not > have an idea what new technologies are driving the world outside that > class. > > Our real problem I think is staffing. How I wish Comp Sc lecturers > were sourced directly from this forum! > > Or perhaps, what the students need is mentoring ? > > -- > Ndungi Kyalo > > On 26 February 2013 11:11, Clare N <101stylz@gmail.com> wrote: > >> +1 Nick. Some students come with basic MS-word knowledge only. >> >> But miaka nne pia ni mob sana not to have caught up. >> Zero ambition/self-drive. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> skunkworks mailing list >> skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke >> ------------ >> List info, subscribe/unsubscribe >> http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks >> ------------ >> >> Skunkworks Rules >> http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 >> ------------ >> Other services @ http://my.co.ke >> > > > _______________________________________________ > skunkworks mailing list > skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke > ------------ > List info, subscribe/unsubscribe > http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks > ------------ > > Skunkworks Rules > http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 > ------------ > Other services @ http://my.co.ke >

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-- Regards, Peter Karunyu -------------------

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-- * If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn't. - Emerson M. Pugh *

@ Dennis I do agree what I meant was as much as knowing how to code is essential there has to be much more to CS than that, you can't claim that because you can code so you are a CS. By the way system analysis and design is a essential step in programming but you can't argue that to be a good system analyst you have to be a good programmer which I guess would fall under CS course. What am getting at is that behind the technologies that you and I use on a daily base SC was at play and will continue to be way into the future. "Computer science is a discipline that spans theory and practice. It requires thinking both in abstract terms and in concrete terms. The practical side of computing can be seen everywhere. Nowadays, practically everyone is a computer user, and many people are even computer programmers. Getting computers to do what you want them to do requires intensive hands-on experience. But computer science can be seen on a higher level, as a science of problem solving. Computer scientists must be adept at modeling and analyzing problems. They must also be able to design solutions and verify that they are correct. Problem solving requires precision, creativity, and careful reasoning." http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~john/whatiscs.html On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 8:07 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:

Programming is among the essentials of CS. How do you get to understand an algorithm if you cant write a program, which is basically representation of some soft of algorithm. You'll also need a program to access storage and to control transmission etc.

On 26 February 2013 21:45, kris njoroge <krsnjo@gmail.com> wrote:

...

I have never attended a CS course!

Is it me or is computer science meant to be more than coding and computer languages like Java or python, thought it was more about the science of computers that is algorithms, storage, transmission etc i mean it's the science that makes it all come together. Most of us are good at using computer languages to write programs but how many can actually write the the language, or better yet really explain it.

Always thought a CS course was more than high level languages that you can teach yourself and more about the nuts and bolts the stuff that makes data storage possible, the storage sizes getting bigger as the physical size gets smaller - that's computer science.

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 4:34 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:

...

Meanwhile, in the US, they can't find 1 million CS graduates http://dthin.gs/ZGhaoD On Feb 26, 2013 5:46 PM, "Bwana Lawi" <mail2lawi@gmail.com> wrote:

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I went to Stanford (but do I say), er, online classes for a week. The CS101 was very deep from the word go. The CS department had (or has) it's own flavour of Eclipse IDE and you get real hands-on java training.

I feel my love for java was lost when all i learnt was Person = new Person.

I am not saying we should be like Stanford but in that 1 week I realized there is a very big difference between my degree and Stanford CS degree.

PS: I decided to drop out after a week after seeing what it means to be a Stanford dropout. Feel free to add me to your network :)

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 5:27 PM, Peter Karunyu <pkarunyu@gmail.com>wrote:

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Guys, you are all forgetting one thing: the mindset of a Kenyan academician is totally different from that of a professional on the field.

Academicians want to produce *well rounded graduates*, this basically means they will teach a little bit of everything; Pascal, C, C++ and Java, HIV&AIDS, Organic Chemistry, Communication Skills, Psychology 101, Ethics etc to a CS student.

What the market needs is a *sharp edged graduate, *someone who can hit the ground and make a mark, the day after graduation.

That said, without self drive to teach themselves stuff, a CS graduate will be less than ideal.

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 3:59 PM, joe mwirigi <joemwirigi@gmail.com>wrote:

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All this time av been thinking this CS is CSharp :( so its commuter Science.

All said, I think these classes and courses are necessary. Some of the things like software life cycle and other things on taking-on large Software projects come in hardy. For some of us who started with a pan and a 'Cook what You May' philosophy have had it hard documenting such things that the Mgt of companies want to see before you start the cooking. Though we learn through google and 'please forward me ...' , if well taught in colleges,

this would make the lifes of skunks/ettes bit easier out here.

And of course I echo self effort above all which matters after all the helping we get after being mentored like i have been by a one Ndungi Kyalo and Frankline Chitwa both in this forum here.

Rgds

*_______________________________________________________________ We must Keep on, *

On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 3:42 PM, Ndungi Kyalo <ndungi@gmail.com>wrote:

> Wow @Claire, kudos to you. That is quite admirable actually. I also > hope that after you are done you can mentor another one and another one who > feels like giving up on CS because it seems too daunting or the lectures > are a raw deal. On university staffing, I am trying to say that though most > people here have come this far due to God's grace (and pure grit), it > doesnt have to be that way. Not every one is Chuck Norris or McGyver you > know :) . One way or another, we will need to produce a lot more superb > programmers, systems analysts, ai experts, dba's etc for a young economy as > ours. Self-drive and initiative will work for us as individuals but the big > picture demands we do more for the sake of others as well. > -- > Ndungi Kyalo > > > On 26 February 2013 15:04, Clare N <101stylz@gmail.com> wrote: > >> @Ndungi I only say this coz 4 years ago I was that ms-word student >> but I have self taught myself EVERY language n tech skill I know. >> Whether or not u lyk ur course, its up to you to figure stuff out... >> Instead of waiting for a miracle, go out and make one. >> On Feb 26, 2013 2:55 PM, "Ndungi Kyalo" <ndungi@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> @Clare, It is wrong to first assume that a young person lacks >>> initiative or self-drive. In the first place, he came to the university >>> because he figured he couldnt hack it by himself. That is some form of >>> initiative right there that any lecturer could work with to mould the young >>> mind into a great skunker/ette. Of course, there are those who are simply >>> fulfilling their parents' wishes to complete a 4-year 'marketable' course, >>> but i think those are the minority. Many more enthusiastic young people get >>> into class only to be met by lecturers who recycle class notes and do not >>> have an idea what new technologies are driving the world outside that >>> class. >>> >>> Our real problem I think is staffing. How I wish Comp Sc lecturers >>> were sourced directly from this forum! >>> >>> Or perhaps, what the students need is mentoring ? >>> >>> -- >>> Ndungi Kyalo >>> >>> On 26 February 2013 11:11, Clare N <101stylz@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> +1 Nick. Some students come with basic MS-word knowledge only. >>>> >>>> But miaka nne pia ni mob sana not to have caught up. >>>> Zero ambition/self-drive. >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> skunkworks mailing list >>>> skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke >>>> ------------ >>>> List info, subscribe/unsubscribe >>>> http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks >>>> ------------ >>>> >>>> Skunkworks Rules >>>> http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 >>>> ------------ >>>> Other services @ http://my.co.ke >>>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> skunkworks mailing list >>> skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke >>> ------------ >>> List info, subscribe/unsubscribe >>> http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks >>> ------------ >>> >>> Skunkworks Rules >>> http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 >>> ------------ >>> Other services @ http://my.co.ke >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> skunkworks mailing list >> skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke >> ------------ >> List info, subscribe/unsubscribe >> http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks >> ------------ >> >> Skunkworks Rules >> http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 >> ------------ >> Other services @ http://my.co.ke >> > > > _______________________________________________ > skunkworks mailing list > skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke > ------------ > List info, subscribe/unsubscribe > http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks > ------------ > > Skunkworks Rules > http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 > ------------ > Other services @ http://my.co.ke >

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On 2/27/13 8:39 AM, Peter Karunyu wrote:

I would assume that any computer language is itself written in another lower level computer language since you will need to code the parser, the compiler etc. Unless of course, its machine code.

What you code your compiler/language in is almost irrelevant, unless you are boot-strapping your language stack. Personally I find functional oriented programming languages to be quite suited for the job i.e. ML or F# The theory behind it (as Kris says) is much more important: non-deterministic finite automaton (NFA) and deterministic finite automaton (DFA) any developer will benefit from learning these theories... There is a lot of spill-over "knowledge" from learning these theories such as general use of state-machines. .. Mike

There is an interesting piece related to the topic here < http://threads2.scripting.com/2013/february/whyYouShouldLearnToCode > It appears to be a reaction to the efforts associated with this clip < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKIu9yen5nc > I also don't know how true this is but someone once mentioned it to me that many ongoing MIT students at the the time were involved in the development of Windows X.P at Microsoft. Was also told that they (MIT students / teachers) rarely use anything they do not develop, beginning from compilers (LISP / Scheme, et al) to learning materials, IDEs and code libraries, Web servers, etc. Martin. On Thu, Feb 28, 2013 at 11:01 AM, Calvin Omari <calvinebarongo@gmail.com>wrote:

Hi All,

friend of mine doing MSC SE at Carnegie Mellon University in Silicon Valley CA tells me their class assignment are actual projects sourced from neighbouring software giants like Google, Yahoo etc.. with this kind of exposure, i bet one will not end up not knowing what to do

regards Calvin

On Wed, Feb 27, 2013 at 1:55 PM, Michael Pedersen <sku@kaal.dk> wrote:

...

On 2/27/13 8:39 AM, Peter Karunyu wrote:

...

I would assume that any computer language is itself written in another lower level computer language since you will need to code the parser, the compiler etc. Unless of course, its machine code.

What you code your compiler/language in is almost irrelevant, unless you are boot-strapping your language stack. Personally I find functional oriented programming languages to be quite suited for the job i.e. ML or F#

The theory behind it (as Kris says) is much more important: non-deterministic finite automaton (NFA) and deterministic finite automaton (DFA) any developer will benefit from learning these theories... There is a lot of spill-over "knowledge" from learning these theories such as general use of state-machines.

.. Mike

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-- ./Cal

“ *Copy and paste is a design error.* ” - David Parnas

System Software Developer/Analyst @calvinebarongo

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