[plt-scheme] Perplexed Programmers

On Aug 29, 2007, at 5:37 AM, jerzy.karczmarczuk at info.unicaen.fr wrote:

> Here, in France, the problem is that the bulk of software - such as  
> the
> ticket reservation systems, some packages for the administration of
> public health, or the administration of universities (such as a true
> disgrace called Apogée), etc., all this seems to have been designed  
> and
> coded by people NOT QUALIFIED ENOUGH.
>
> Whatever we do with our students, any knowledge and (some)  
> experience, and
> all the methodology  taught to them - all this won't help, since  
> the Big
> Bosses, people who hold the key positions within the society:  
> directors,
> the ministerial staff, etc., they are convinced that with the  
> progress of
> the comp. sci., the programming became easy, and can be done by  
> anyone.
> And a long comp. sci. learning is too expensive...
>
> So, the design of the software architecture and a good deal of  
> coding is
> under the responsibility of people with two years of higher  
> education, or
> amateurs. Moreover, despite a long struggle, there is no university  
> diploma
> on the pedagogy of 'Informatics' (the Capes or Aggregation diplomas)
> habilitating the holders to teach in secondary schools

This is a universal problem. You just don't have enough cross-Atlantic
experience.

;; ---

> So, sorry for some impoliteness, but a person who claimed that the  
> "guilt"
> is individual, that teachers, programmers, managers, etc. are bad  
> workers,
> and such an abstract monster as "the system" doesn't really exist  
> in this
> context, said a sheer nonsense. We are not in XVIII century anymore.

This was me. And if you don't start at the individual level, you will
never make progress. That's what they call productivity and that's what
Maggie meant when she said "there is no such thing as society." Of  
course
she exaggerated to make her point but it is a valid point. Those who
always try to shelter the individual from individual responsibility are
doing the society a huge disfavor.

I am not surprised to get such nonsense coming from a French person.

-- Matthias