RE: Design of STL was RE: [GD-General] Eiffel

[Brian H. <bri...@py...>]

Well, I didn't mean to imply that NO experience is okay.  There is the
experience of "programming at large" and then there's the experience
with a specific language or API.  The former is important, the latter
isn't (in my eyes).  

There are a lot of habits, tricks and experiences that you pick up
throughout a programming career that are absolutely vital and often
spell the difference between newbie and grizzled, bitter veteran =)  So
inexperience still works against you, but I don't think inexperience
with a specific API really should matter.

I've done a lot of weird ass programming in my life, and I'm a better
programmer for having gone through it, but those specific domains of
knowledge just aren't relevant to anything I'm doing today.  SEG:OFF
programming under real-mode DOS, VCPI/DPMI management for 32-bit
extended DOS, DIVE on OS/2, Mode X on VGA, NetWare IPX/SPX handling,
writing my own interrupt handlers, FIFO handling on a 16550, sliding
windows with VESA BIOS extensions, fixed point math using 386
instructions, using XOR EAX, EAX instead of MOV EAX, 0...

All kinds of crap that just doesn't matter anymore, but which has made
me a better programmer today.  It's my standard toolbox of "Back in my
day..." war stories.  We all have 'em =)

> Actually I like Brian's way.. that sounds like a company I 
> could actually get a job at, rather than one that demands 
> "experience"! Which is a little difficult because to get a 
> job you have to have "experience", but to have "experience" 
> you have to get a job... But that is really an excuse :)