3 HN users recommended this interview3 months2017–2024score 3.5
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN recommends it for Kay's blunt critique of today's computing and standard CS curricula.
Alan Kay visits Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science in 2007 for an informal conversation with faculty and students. He discusses the state of CS education and criticizes mainstream computing.
“Alan Kay, almost impolitely, tears into today's computing while talking at CMU.” (HN, 2017)
Funny you should say that. Reminds me of this video[0] where Alan Kay, almost impolitely, tears into today's computing while talking at CMU. [0] [this video]
Alan Kay has part of the answer in this talk [0] where elucidates the errors taken by formal Comp Sci education. He claims there was a battle in the university between testable curriculum centered around Algorithms and builder curriculums based around hardware and distributed systems, and says it's a shame that algorithms won out. [0] Alan Kay : July 2007 : A Conversation with CMU Faculty & Students [this video]
I'm glad an insider is thinking about this. But why do I have a feeling that it's written with an idea to make faculty life easy, not necessarily for a great student learning outcome, although that's what they say. Alan Kay (Turing Prize 2004) argues against current standard CS curriculum. [this video] Anyway few unrelated thoughts. --- The undergrad CS courses mostly do not deviate in content.The variance is in quality. "pick good professor over interesting course" paid off for me in university. Factors such as these matter: course pace, instructor and TA accessibility, course slides and other material quality, lecture interesting or boring etc. --- Isn't it surprising that one of the most watched courses is by an YouTube tutor with a credential no american university will ever take seriously for hiring even an adjunct teaching faculty? See Intro to Algorithms by Abdul Bari on YouTube
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