Re: A good book

Tony D wrote:
> Cimode wrote:
> > I understand your concern. It is legitimate and I wished other people
> > teaching would have such ethics. But acquiring knowledge should take
> > in consideration the context in which it is provided.
> >
> > Given how cookbook approach technology biased education replaces
> > academic education nowadays, people seeking education are
> > preconditionned to reject naturally anything that tells them
> > *exhaustively* the ugly face of things, even if this ugly face is
> > truth.
>
> You're absolutely correct that this is one of the many problems with
> what you quite rightly described as "cookbook approach technology
> biased education" (for example, when did "Oracle-biased SQL course"
> become synonymous with "database theory course", as it seems to have
> done in some universities ?). However, there is an even bigger problem.
> When students who have been through such courses are presented with
> material with a more theoretical bias, they tend to skim read it
> quickly, complain that they can't actually use this stuff (ie. they
> can't sit at the SQL*Plus prompt and type away) and dismiss it out of
> hand. As far as I am concerned the only way to defeat this tendency
> properly is to get university education back to providing a solid,
> theory-based foundation and away from providing vocational training
> courses.
Yep.

> > Which makes conciseness important to let truth stand a chance
> > against cookbook approach in a matter of attractiveness to audiences.
> > Conciseness comes by favoring quality over quantity at least in initial
> > stages of learning. Once hooked, people should of course deepen their
> > knowledge by mlore exhaustive reading.
> >
>
> If only.
Necessary is not sufficient. The purpose of this comment was to provide feedback to somebody not acquainted at all with RM issues.

> > This kind of discussion gives me nostalgia to ancient greek times...;)
> >
>
> I think Fabian might suggest that he's already closer to walking
> barefoot expounding his views on databases than he'd like to be ... ;)
>
> - Tony
Received on Fri Jul 07 2006 - 18:39:38 CEST