[cap-talk] Wiki sympathy, incentive misalignments?

[David-Sarah Hopwood]

Jonathan S. Shapiro wrote:
> On Mon, 2008-03-31 at 13:53 -0700, Jed Donnelley wrote:
>> On 3/31/2008 11:40 AM, Jonathan S. Shapiro wrote:
>>> Your are confusing a mathematical discipline (computer science) with an
>>> engineering discipline (computer engineering).
>> Thanks for your thoughts Jonathan.  I of course understand the
>> distinction between computer mathematics (science) and computer
>> engineering and I don't believe I was confusing them.  Do you
>> feel the lack of state of the art knowledge is more prevalent in
>> one vs. the other?
> 
> Not really.
> 
> But you asked about computer science. This has become a branch of
> mathematics, largely uninterested in practical concerns. You should
> thank the ACM curriculum for this, coupled with the silliness of the
> ABET certification process that effectively mandates compliance with a
> curriculum that many would otherwise shun. So the goal you seek is out
> of bounds for computer science.

This is a U.S.-centric view. My impression is that computer science in
other countries is more interested in practical concerns. Certainly there
is a lot of interest in applying formal methods in the U.K., if you look
in the right places.

-- 
David-Sarah Hopwood