Re: [work] [PLUG] Book Recommendation

[Paul <emailme@dpagin.net>]

Mental wrote:

> On Mon, Oct 20, 2003 at 03:12:54PM -0400, Paul wrote:
>  
>
> > There is a positive as well as negative side to that.  Doing things 
> > manually results in weaker scripting skills, but higher intimancy with 
> > the system.  Since you can't script what you don't understand, knowing 
> > the system is more important than being able to script.  After all, 
> > anyone can buy a book to learn how to script.
> >
> >    
>
> Your argument seems to refute itself. If anyone can buy a book and learn
> to script, then it must not be difficult. However, if you cant script what
> you dont understand then it must be difficult. So if you buy a book on
> scripting you can learn more quickly? 
>  

Not at all.  My point is that the knowledge of what your script will 
operate on is more important than your present ability to write a 
script.  The purpose of many scripts is to automate that which you don't 
want to do manually, or to allow someone else to accomplish a task 
without knowing the technical details behind it.  You, as the scripter, 
must first understand what your are trying to accomplish, then, figure 
out how to write a script to do it.


> > To get more abstract, which is better, a specialized super game machine 
> > which can beat Chess masters, or a learning machine which can evaluate a 
> > situation and adapt to it?
> >
> >    
>
> Are you playing chess or are you trying to give it a turing test?

Less abstract: I'm saying you can hire an expert consultant or grow your 
own expert employee.

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