Re: "difficulties in OO"
Re: "difficulties in OO"
- Subject: Re: "difficulties in OO"
- From: has <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2002 16:34:02 +0100
Steven Angier wrote:
>
> p.s. You might also want to remember that I've been there, I've done all
>
> that, and I've come through it all by the worst route anyone could take. So
>
> perhaps consider this: what if my motives here are actually altruistic: a
>
> concern for others and a desire to see them have an easier ride of it than
>
> I did? Feel free to mull that over while coming up with a more considered
>
> response, should you wish to make one.
>
>
Your underlying motives may be genuinely altruistic, but many people like to
>
learn things for themselves; to make their own mistakes and their own
>
triumphs. Its part of human nature; its how we "grow" as individuals.
Well, ain't nobody else can learn it _for_ them. <g>
[Neo: "Ju-Jitsu? I'm going to learn Ju-Jitsu?"]
However, you asked me this question before, so I've had some time to mull
it over and I think maybe there's two issues here being confused as one.
...
[Forenote: where I say "you", read it as any impersonal pronoun of your
choice. It's a figure of speech, not a direct address.]
ISSUE 1: The distinction between self-taught and taught-by-instruction.
The self-taught approach might involve you sitting at home with a "How To"
book, or taking an Open University course. The other is essentially a
"classroom" scenario. Both are roughly similar in structure, however; the
main difference is that the first is dependent on high levels of
self-motivation to drive itm while the second lays most everything on for
you.
Some folks find the former is more appropriate to them, others prefer the
latter. Neither is inherently better than the other. This is _not_ the
debate I'm having, so let's put that aside for now.
...
ISSUE 2: there's the distinction between structured versus unstructured
learning. Which IS the issue I want to get at.
With structured learning, you're growing/developing within some sort of
framework designed to help you along the way. You'll still make mistakes,
of course - that's inevitable - and [hopefully] you'll learn by them so
you'll never make them again.
With an unstructured approach, you're working without any external support;
finding your own way by trying anything and everything you can think of,
and seeing what sticks. This approach - discovering everything from first
principles by pure trial-and-error - I'm going to term "Bogo-Learning". [1]
I'm not sure why anyone would _want_ to educate themselves through
Bogo-Learning where any alternatives exist. Perhaps the visceral thrill of
"discovering" fire, or "inventing" the wheel all by yourself. If you live
long enough, you might even come up with some interesting theories on
gravity, or learn how to harness electricity. However, for all the
marvelling you may do at your own genius, all you've really managed to do
is waste a few thousand years when you could just have picked up a standard
encyclopedia from the nearest public library and read the lot a day or two.
This approach _does_ make sense is when you are discovering things that are
_genuinely_ new - a successor to Superstring Theory, or a truly Better
Mousetrap. But learning things that are truly undiscovered is the polar
opposite exercise to acquiring existing, 3rd-party wisdom (and you still
don't get to that cutting face by digging right from the beginning, you do
it by following those who went before and taking up tools where they left
off). But since there is absolutely diddly-squat in learning to use
AppleScript that hasn't been discovered, documented, distributed and read
by a hundred - or a hundred-thousand - others before you, we can discount
the above as any reason for Bogo-Learning here.
So, what other reason could you possibly have for Bogo-Learning here? I'm
slowly forming the opinion that there is quite a bit of Bogo-Learning
happening around these here parts [2], and I'd really like to know why that
is... given that it is surely the *least efficient technique imaginable*.
Call it intellectual curiousity - or just my big nose, if you prefer - but
I do want to find out more. If nothing else, the exercise will be good for
my lazy fat braincells... ;)
Cheers,
has
[1] After the notorious "Bogo-Sort" algorithm, which sorts data by trying
things at random until it discovers an arrangement that happens to be in
order.
[2] Need I mention the very first subject I analysed was myself<g>? Not
only did I self-teach everything I know about AppleScript and programming,
but I did an awful lot of it, certainly year one, using some of the most
Bogo-Licious techniques imaginable. Unfortunately, asking oneself for the
answers doesn't really work... the face in the mirror is incapable of
independent answers... ;)
--
http://www.barple.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk -- The Little Page of AppleScripts
_______________________________________________
applescript-users mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives:
http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/applescript-users
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.