On May 20, 2:21 am, Rikishi42 <skunkwo...@rikishi42.net> wrote: > On 2011-05-18, Hans Georg Schaathun <h...@schaathun.net> wrote: > > > Now Mac OS X has maintained the folder concept of older mac generations, > > and Windows has cloned it. They do not want the user to understand > > recursive data structures, and therefore, naturally, avoid the word. > > You imply they want to keep their users ignorant of these structures, as if > to keep something valuable from them. Wouldn't it be more honest, more to > the point and much simpler to state they don't NEED the user to understand > recursive - or indeed any other - data structures? And that the user doesn't > NEED to understand or know about them, just to use them? > > After all they are users. They use their system for fun, learning or work. > Even a very competent or advanced use of a tool (computer, car, mobile phone, > fridge, TV, radio, toilet) in no way implies an understanding of it's inner > workings. Nor the need, nor the desire. > > PS: Isn't this thread much ado about nothing? :-) > It starts with the misconception (or should I say confusion?) between > performing a recursive job and using a recursive tool to do it. And then it > blazes off in these huge discusions about semantics to define a definition > of an abstraction of a alleady theoretical problem. > > Glorious, just frelling glorious. :-) > We have an expression for that. But I'll avoid using it, since it has the > word 'masturbation' in it... > > And PPS: the P(P)S's don't specifically refer to your posting. > > -- > When in doubt, use brute force. > -- Ken Thompson
Well... I was rethinking my earlier argument with Ian Kelly about the similarity/differences between recursion in theory and in CS. On rethinking my position I come to the conclusion that I am arguing like an chimp -- and therefore not making my real point which is that that recursion is more widespread in computer science than is recognised. This is discussed separately here http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/212e6477262125e9# [I agree with you Xah that recursion is a technical word that should not be foisted onto lay users.] -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
