[767] in Depressing_Thoughts
Re: classes at the 'tute
jik@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (jik@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Sat Mar 4 21:50:32 1989
>Don't knock 6.002 and 6.003, by the way; it's the basis of what
>computers are made of, even if you don't wind up using it later on.
I don't *care* what computers are made of! I've heard many people
claim that knowing the stuff in 6.002 and 6.003 will help me to be a
better programmer, and I *don't* believe it. Knowing how the
transistors in my computer work will not help me write better C code.
6.004 will help, but that's because it goes beyond the circuits and
ends up with a real working computer.
I am very firmly of the opinion that 6.002 and 6.003 should not be
required for computer science majors. If they want us to use the
theoretical systems analysis stuff in 6.002, they can find another way
to teach it to us. I didn't learn anything from 6.002, and I probably
won't learn anything from 6.003 (even if I end up taking it twice,
which I probably will).
