I suspect that much of this is the result of the Internet. I was reading an article recently which claimed that the rise in popularity of dynamically typed languages (such as Perl and Python) coincided with the rise in popularity of the Web. People wanted everything now. I want a program that works now. I want to see results now. I want someone to answer my question now. Unfortunately, many people receive this gratification and are less likely to think the problem through for themselves. The 'net is a terrible thing to waste.

I also recall reading another article which talked about the "good ol' days" of computer programming when programmers often had to wait weeks for computer time. As a result, they struggled, toiled, and poured over their programs very carefully. Everything was checked and double-checked as a single bug could mean weeks of waiting for anther try. Since I suspect it's impossible to correct for our improved knowledge of computer science, I doubt the following question is answerable, but I'm curious to know how quality has been affected by the seemingly conflicting needs of "get it right" and "get it now".

Cheers,
Ovid

New address of my CGI Course.
Silence is Evil

In reply to Re: Frustrations with newbie questions by Ovid
in thread Frustrations with newbie questions by hieronymus

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