Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.smalltalk,comp.object
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From: ian@syacus.acus.oz.au (Ian Joyner)
Subject: Re: C++ Productivity
References: <1995Jan23.193745.7044@boole.com> <jim.fleming.84.00133AB6@bytes.com> <1995Jan25.201226.28856@rcmcon.com> <jim.fleming.75.0003AF13@bytes.com> <3gls1u$p2l@osfa.aber.ac.uk> <1995Feb1.184049.16332@rcmcon.com> <D3E33s.DCp@da_vinci.ecte.uswc.uswest
 <D3IAw9.6FH@syacus.acus.oz.au> <3hdbbr$i8p@dawn.mmm.com> <nms-1002950033330001@192.0.2.1>
Message-ID: <D3vAB1.2MG@syacus.acus.oz.au>
Organization: Australian Centre for Unisys Software, ACUS
Date: Sun, 12 Feb 1995 03:13:49 GMT
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Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.lang.c++:112314 comp.lang.smalltalk:20742 comp.object:26604

nms@kremlsun.ussr.eu.net (Nickolay Saukh) writes:

>Sorry, my news server lost track of original articles

>> > >Yes, C++ is hard to use correctly.  So is Smalltalk.  So is Pascal.
>> > >So is C.  So is any computer language.  Why?  Because software is
>> > >hard.
>> 
>> Mr. Joyner continues:
>> 
>> > This is exactly true, writing software is hard.

>_Writing_ software is not that hard. The art of programming is three phase
>one: (a) analysis of problem, (b) finding solution of the problem and (c)
>writing the solution. If you writes solution as math formula, then we have
>math. If you use programming language, then there is programming. But if
>you have no clear understanding of the problem (lack of imagination?) or
>there is no solution, no programming language can help }-: Had you seen
>object oriented programms written in C? It is just a way of thought.

Correct. Programming is based on a few simple principles. Actually
"_writing_" it is not hard. But coming up with a finished product
is extremely difficult. Otherwise there would not be so much money
wasted on projects that turn out to be failures.

You are also correct that you must understand the problem. The concern
I have with C/Unix people is that they too often say "C/Unix is the
solution.... now what was your problem again?" Then when you find out
you can't do that economically in Unix/C, you find out, there must
be something wrong with the customer/problem, as the axiom is that
Unix/C is perfect, and you can't go against that!
-- 
Ian Joyner           |"for when lenity and cruelty play   |All opinions are
Unisys (ACUS)        | for a kingdom, the gentler gamester|personal and are not
ian@syacus.acus.oz.au| is the soonest winner" W.S. Henry V|Unisys official comment
