The programming language market (was Re: [Haskell-cafe] Why functional programming matters

[Bulat Ziganshin]

Hello jerzy,

Sunday, January 27, 2008, 1:48:07 AM, you wrote:

>> I've often heard from my Eastern European colleagues that they learned
>> almost nothing about computer science back home...
> === 

> Well, I have the impression, at least I intended to say just the reverse
> (not the opposite), that the arrogance/bias against computers has been
> partly "justified" by a very good level in math. The decision makers
> confounded the math science with the domain of computation...

i don't think that there were any decisions. Soviet system is just system
of government monopolies where each monopoly "works" in the way that
is more comfortable for its bureaucrats rather than "users". it's true
for factories, communal services, shops, anything. at the beginning of
computer era, computational mathematics was the only computer
application and our CS started in these fields, like american's one.
but then new applications arrived, and western CS was switched to
service them, while here professors continued to teach that they know
better, push the math into the programs of other institutes and so on.
it's no problem for Soviet system that institute prepares specialists
for non-existing applications - they should learn yourself. so we just
have system of "science for science" without any practical outcome,
and contents of this science dictated by professors who was actual 50
years ago

-- 
Best regards,
 Bulat                            mailto:Bulat.Ziganshin at gmail.com