From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED, DKIM_INVALID,DKIM_SIGNED,FREEMAIL_FROM,HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI, RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 24374 invoked from network); 26 Jan 2021 12:27:34 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 26 Jan 2021 12:27:34 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 1AF429C7AF; Tue, 26 Jan 2021 22:27:31 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CEF629C641; Tue, 26 Jan 2021 22:26:57 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=fail reason="signature verification failed" (2048-bit key; unprotected) header.d=gmail.com header.i=@gmail.com header.b="IKZi3hH9"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 35EBC9C641; Tue, 26 Jan 2021 22:26:54 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-yb1-f177.google.com (mail-yb1-f177.google.com [209.85.219.177]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 5CEF39C5FD for ; Tue, 26 Jan 2021 22:26:53 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-yb1-f177.google.com with SMTP id k132so16543731ybf.2 for ; Tue, 26 Jan 2021 04:26:53 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20161025; h=mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date:message-id:subject:to :cc; bh=ufJmo1Sh2sVPbl957OY1WYPhzFsuA6o33lEEwlBGXrM=; b=IKZi3hH9BdesgELrHJfbXK7410Q64vVBp1o+rR2ijvYXbhXGZwcWZlWkeIx27al5SW W4yPqoZ4y0MLdOyqzXOAd43ZnD+tvoTCcI4e7LLggEtUAgdUprYGT/CHIg1x79gpJhIS KTq3b1KyeY+edSx2ZuNig0voUT0AXxu5NOfYJe1VeCtpsfCIs0pT39biUS+XYi2dw0lJ s9Kz4cx2xK2JqfAmr5EQd1bAYuIwKXehArDlqQjZucfkRTo581cRrdRonXugg2DUwwGs LpFYhOuIIE+oatRFvGBYKqDOzRd/iF5jwWhn+HnkPwHr3yUDevySL62GfzMV5P5n22qa B6zg== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20161025; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date :message-id:subject:to:cc; bh=ufJmo1Sh2sVPbl957OY1WYPhzFsuA6o33lEEwlBGXrM=; b=Dj9QE15wirs2eQ+1cmQsTMfxrpvSvsWcnFSONsgwU7Xo0A730J1cw5Dxf4r4/5aSAq bvCG30Iuk+Eycdy2ncO69v9kwfGmF8lTOr2nVVNjdFQB7vMmSEVUAnu2fK7LbF2bn4ln af0CfAlerdAsSUww4rkYjfsv2psFzOZzRZ0qZv7AipLao0h45Pq71HpuzUItHwwTDnOI cZGTlOYR5z5KPAZMgu4nc0h8t6xjeoAeDkzwo70FAr6dS0obDdP4IjiVELndnSlFdhMo NiFGL+shRn8En64wnsyeIiaWwXu7kRAoXeRGfX75mCpHkEHXIoLH8kBGPjX5FK0syfBT 4N3Q== X-Gm-Message-State: AOAM531iozaGfSpQRnxn0BtKQ7zJmyX/8rRV2TL8qUDZDiGqrfZ9JE1i 8uwhmBmhrU9jUP9uXhTYS1x5Kw7GkirqnjTrVI0= X-Google-Smtp-Source: ABdhPJyhWxacpMxfxebz2vGA0oNQqOPfzg8OoZiAc0yGRpSW0mf9WQi2r3crEIiSD5+OZG83kDkdvjxjrr1Iiv12/g8= X-Received: by 2002:a25:4211:: with SMTP id p17mr7774272yba.507.1611664012497; Tue, 26 Jan 2021 04:26:52 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: "John P. Linderman" Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2021 07:26:41 -0500 Message-ID: To: Tyler Adams Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000f6584805b9ccc44d" Subject: Re: [TUHS] Favorite unix design principles? X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Cc: The Eunuchs Hysterical Society Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" --000000000000f6584805b9ccc44d Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" On Tue, Jan 26, 2021 at 5:24 AM Tyler Adams wrote: > Looking at the 1978 list, the last one really stands out: > > "Use tools in preference to unskilled help to lighten a programming task" > -- The concept of unskilled help for a programming task...doesn't really > exist in 2020. The only special case is doing unskilled labor yourself. > What unskilled tasks did people used to do back in the day? > > Tyler > >> >>> Drifting far off topic, but when I was programming part time for the MIT administration in the late 60's, we wrote a small language for generating reports from tape input. It did things like reading a record ahead, so it could detect the last and first records having some (presumably sorted) value, making it easy to do headers and summaries. Many report requests from assorted administrative offices could be handled by our operators, who had no formal programming experience. Occasionally they'd get bitten by a request like "Give me a count of freshman and sophomores in course 18" and they'd do the equivalent of "class == freshmen && class == sophomore", paralleling the spoken request, and then wonder why nothing got selected. All in all, though, it took a huge load off the skilled programmers, and reduced the time to respond to simple requests. When I joined the Labs in 1973, we had no operators, no administrative report requests, and most co-workers were proficient programmers. But the administrative work environment at MIT was more representative of "the real world" than the Labs. --000000000000f6584805b9ccc44d Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable


On Tue, Jan 26, 2021 at 5:24 AM Tyler Adams <coppero1237@gmail.com> wrote:<= br>
Looking at the 1978 list, the last one really stands out:
"Use tools in preference to unskilled help to lighten a program= ming task" -- The concept of unskilled help for a programming task...d= oesn't really exist in 2020. The only special case is doing unskilled l= abor yourself. What unskilled tasks did people used to do back in the day?<= br>

Tyler


Drifting far off topic, but when I was= programming part time for the MIT administration in the late 60's, we = wrote a small language for generating reports from tape input. It did thing= s like reading a record ahead, so it could detect the last and first record= s having some (presumably sorted) value, making it easy to do headers and s= ummaries. Many report requests from assorted administrative offices could b= e handled by our operators, who had no formal programming experience. Occas= ionally they'd get bitten by a request like "Give me a count of fr= eshman and sophomores in course 18" and they'd do the equivalent o= f "class =3D=3D freshmen && class =3D=3D sophomore", para= lleling the spoken request, and then wonder why nothing got selected. All i= n all, though, it took a huge load off the skilled programmers, and reduced= the time to respond to simple requests. When I joined the Labs in 1973, we= had no operators, no administrative report requests, and most co-workers w= ere proficient programmers. But the administrative work environment at MIT = was more representative of "the real world" than the Labs.
<= /div>
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