[plt-scheme] Re: Programming for non-programmers

On Oct 14, 2004, at 11:33 AM, karczma wrote:

>  For list-related administrative tasks:
>  http://list.cs.brown.edu/mailman/listinfo/plt-scheme
>
> Matthias Felleisen writes:
>> On Oct 14, 2004, at 1:45 AM, Richard Cleis wrote:
>>>  what if programmers don't feel that they are limited?
>>  [Sorry no rotten tomatoes please.] The average programmer has never 
>> ever any incentive to become more productive. His boss is happy, his 
>> paycheck comes in on time, his hours are okay, what else does he 
>> want?
>
> Matthias, you over-generalize.
> I knew some young "average programmers". Some of them do everything
> in order - not JUST to become more productive - but to become moere
> USEFUL, to delay the hour when they will be fired...
> The atmosphere in an enterprise may depend on the circumstances. For
> many people it is discouraging to search for new solutions. In other
> cases it is OK. You may always say then that they 'are not average'.

You're right.

> But there are ambitious people of all backgrounds and all ages. Don't
> be AS cynical, please...

Why not? If you consider eight programmers in an apparently academic 
context, who clearly do not wish to explore alternatives that would 
make them more productive. And I won't even discuss the hundreds of 
thousands of RPG programmers that still exist. Don't laugh. They do. I 
know some and I know how many there are. They and their bosses don't 
deserve better. They stop educating themselves the moment they leave 
college. And our lives are in their hands, just like in our doctors' 
hands.

> Jerzy Karczmarczuk

-- Matthias, not in a good mood about average programmers today