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a new batch of Freshman enter college and post their homework questions on CP for us to answer. 
Two things I find interesting / surprising:
That C++ seems abundantly in use at the college level.  I haven't had to touch that professionally since 2008. 
And, that in my whole career (and I'm an old dude), I've never had to figure out the prime numbers between 1 and a google. Why do colleges choose to have young developers solve such abstract problems? Would it not serve the [business] world better to have them work on practical issues?
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yeah, let's teach kids how to find the area of a triangle, coz that's useful in ... ?
(heck even where is may be useful in planning the cad software does it for you anywhere).
you've exposed the biggest problem with education:
95% useless, except (1) to keep kids occupied, and (2) pick out the good ones.
and don't bring up that crap about 'learning how to solve / dissect / approach problems, answer to anything you need to know/figure out is on goggle. only thing kids really need to learn is how to use a search engine [instead of posting the same bloody questions on cp as the last idiot]
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Things haven't changed that much. When I started on my law degree I thought knowing all the laws was key. I was soon taught that knowing where to find the appropriate law was all that really mattered!
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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Lopatir wrote: the same bloody questions on cp as the last idiot
Oh no, he will definitely not be the last. 
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littleGreenDude wrote: That C++ seems abundantly in use at the college level. I haven't had to touch that professionally since 2008.
Well I use it professionally, and have since the early '90s. I don't think that either of our experiences prove anything.
littleGreenDude wrote: And, that in my whole career (and I'm an old dude), I've never had to figure out the prime numbers between 1 and a google.
- It's a simple way to introduce loops, conditional branching, etc.
- The instructors know the expected results
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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It has been a long time since college. I seem to recall some guys in togas teaching... Most of the people teaching computer science when I was in college had never held a real job. Their whole world consisted of their academic experience so it is not surprising that they do not give out practical assignments. They would not know a real business problem if it bit them in the.. landed on their desks. It has been my misfortune to have had one or two ex profs on teams I have been a part of. The project manager usually got rid of them quick. Unproductive.
Programming is an art form that fights back.
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Hollerith wrote: I seem to recall some guys in togas
Obligatory movie reference: Animal House[^]
Software Zen: delete this;
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Your experience matches mine.
Ahem.
Given thine username Oh wise sage, art thou a former puncher of cards?
(my first two years of programming classes were on punched cards on an IBM mainframe)
Software Zen: delete this;
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I tip my hat to you sir. Your wisdom exceeds mine. Best I can claim is saving Wat IV (Fortran derivative) code to an 8 inch floppy drive Floppy disk - Wikipedia[^] .
modified 25-Sep-18 12:49pm.
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8 inch when meant floooopy...
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My first programming class in fall of 1979, CS141: Introduction to Programming, used WATFIV[^] on the aforementioned mainframe. As I recall, WATFIV was a superset of FORTRAN 66, adding several constructs useful for structured programming.
Software Zen: delete this;
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I went to school so long ago... that I got to learn programming using Turbo Pascal. And the beginnings of OOP
Director of Transmogrification Services
Shinobi of Query Language
Master of Yoda Conditional
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Young whipper snappers
University of Alaska didn't even HAVE a computer science curriculum. My degrees are in Chemistry and Mathematics. I learned assembly language on a PDP-11 in order to create analysis tools for an Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma Spectrophotometer. (Say that three times fast!)
Although my IMSAI 8080 DID have paper tape AND floppies.
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, navigate a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects! - Lazarus Long
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littleGreenDude wrote: Why do colleges choose to have young developers solve such abstract problems?
Actually, you can learn a lot solving for primes.
littleGreenDude wrote: Would it not serve the [business] world better to have them work on practical issues?
The "business world" and "practical issues" is often an oxymoron for me. 
Latest Article - A Concise Overview of Threads
Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny
Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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All the practical issues are already solved here on codeproject.
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Is my new theory of inertia gaining momentum?
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I erg you to control your posts, watt-ever the cost in self esteem. Joule be well thought of as it Gibbs you less friction in the replies.
I'm sure you newton's of these types of puns.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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careful! you should go ahead and back up first.
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OriginalGriff wrote: Is my new theory speculation of inertia gaining momentum?
FTFY
I get the impression you Googled "theory" at 8am this morning and have been chasing the rabbit down the internet hole for the last 8 hours!
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But your new theory of gravitation is going downhill.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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you should check in with your super, conducting yourself like that will have everyone breaking the rules.
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You won't get me to fall for that old one!
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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I think we should just let that thought spin for a while.
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How long should we weight?
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