• Riskable@programming.dev
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    1 year ago

    Arguably, a much more important thing for the students to learn is the limits of humans. The limits of the computer will never be a problem for 99% of these students or they’ll just learn on the job the types of problems they’re good at solving and the ones that aren’t.

    • SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      1 year ago

      The limits of computers would be the same as the limits for humans. We have no reason to think the human brain has a stronger computation power than a Turing machine.

      So, in a way, learning about the limits of computers is the exact same as learning the limits of humans.

      But also, learning what the limits of computers are is absolutely relevant. You get asked to create an algorithm for a problem and its useful to be able to figure out whether it actually is solvable, or how fast it theoretically can be. Avoids wasting everyone’s time trying to build an infinite loop detector.

      • Riskable@programming.dev
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        1 year ago

        The “limits of humans” I was referring to were things like:

        • How long can you push a deadline before someone starts to get really mad
        • How many dark patterns you can cram into an app before the users stop using it
        • The extremes of human stupidity

        👍

        • SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          1 year ago

          …none of which would be relevant for most people working in back-end, which would be most people that take compsci.

          I would hate to go to a compsci study and learn management instead. It’s not what I signed up for.

          University also shouldn’t just be a job training program.

    • bh11235@infosec.pub
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      1 year ago

      Two govt spooks are hunting a dangerous fugitive who is also a humanities graduate. He escapes into a sprawling maze of tunnels. “It’s hopeless,” one of the spooks says. But the other simply says, “Watch.” then proclaims loudly, “studying linear algebra is important because of its use in stochastic processes and image manipulation.” Before he finishes the sentence, the fugitive emerges back out the tunnel and shouts, “but what’s even more important --” and is immediately knocked unconscious and taken for questioning