Re: [school-discuss] Feedback wanted on Essay about Linux in University CS curricula

["Simon Scott" <sscott@iinet.net.au>]

> I have been asked to comment on how a university might
> improve their Software Engineering instruction
> with respect to industry's need for graduates
> familiar with Linux and Open Source.
> A draft of an essay on the topic is at
>    http://www.kegel.com/linux/edu/curriculum.html
> Comments and critique would be most welcome.


"I can only conclude that they've been doing too much book-learning and not
enough actual programming."

hehehe... this is one of the most common perceptions. 

I actually disagree to a point. I believe that the programming that they do is
misdirected. 

It sounds odd, but the most useful course I did in my whole degree was a PC
architecture and assembly language course (thankyou Barry Kauler). Students
these days are taught 'black box' programming too much, there is not enough
emphasis on 'this is just a machine, its all ones and zeros'.... Its not Comp
Sci anymore, its 'software engineering' whatever the hell that is.

This can be extended to open source programming if you think about it. If
Linus had been taught 'heres the windows API, dont worry about whats
underneath it' Linux would never have been created. It is the understanding of
low-level concepts and a firm understanding of a computer's architecture which
gives the grounding in the higher-level stuff. 

Most of today's students learn Java etc without even a second thought about
whats in the VM. Bad bad bad. 

These are just my ill-defined thoughts on whats wrong with IT degrees today,
vaguely pointed in your direction :D