[Edu-sig] quantum instance

[Kirby Urner]

> You want to have your intuition as to someone else's intuition control -
> in a scientific setting.  We are at unscience**2 - before we get started.
> 

No, we're having a meeting of the minds, me and the client.  I go through
iterations of the API, and the client lets me know if I'm on the right
track.  You make it sound like it's all guess work.  It ain't.

In financial planning, isn't it a good idea to ask the client what his or
her goals might be, his or her sense of what's an ethical investment, other
questions?  This is what I'd want in a financial planner.

Client-centric consulting, we might call it.  Basic good sense, and already
a popular business model.  Contract programmers aren't *totally* clueless.

> The closest thing to reality we might have to grasp unto
> is the grammar of the language in which we are choosing to converse.
> 

Which *isn't* Python.  I've been in hours and hours of meetings with clients
and haven't had to force them into learning how to use my tools (Visual
FoxPro, Python, whatever).  

My job is to learn as much of the knowledge domain as needed to meet my
clients' legitimate expectations as already competent professionals.  If my
client wants to learn more programming in the process, fine, but that's
somewhat optional.

And if/when I need a heart operation (god forbid), I don't need to know
about all the surgeon's tricks of the trade, when it comes to keeping me
alive.

> I would urge you to go with that.
> 
> I will, in any case.
> 
> In part at the urging of *my* version of Python.
> 
> 2.4
> 
> Art

I'll pass on taking your advice.  I've been a contract programmer for
several decades, much longer than you have.  I think that counts for
something.

Kirby