OT: Crazy Programming

[James J. Besemer]

Patrick wrote:

> "James J. Besemer" <jb at cascade-sys.com> wrote in message
> news:mailman.1021636709.31088.python-list at python.org...
> > [...]
> > Laura's choice of a particularly subjective example actually underscores
> > the point.  Although there is a lot of inescapable subjectivity regarding
> > ranking wines, a general consensus nevertheless emerged regarding a great
> > number of "measurements".
>
> It's possible that this consensus emerges as a result of training, rather
> than as a result of any quality inherent in the wine. Or, on second
> thoughts, both: An aspiring wine taster learns to recognise and appreciate
> the very qualities that an expert has determined to be "good". To some
> extent, the choice of these qualities is arbitrary, but once they've been
> adequately described and considered authoritative, they can be recognised
> and, to some extent, measured. Of course that says very little about whether
> the tasters are recognising "quality", rather than "a quality". The latter
> seems far more likely to me (which in no way undermines the value of refined
> taste).

I see your point but I think the judgement-as-a-result-of-training argument is
way more applicable to programming styles than to wine tasting.

With wine tasting, the cheaper wines tend to exagerate one or more specific
taste sensation over all others.  They start to taste sour, bitter or too sweet
-- in a word, bad.  To be sure, these may be qualities which happen to appeal to
some isolated individuals but I think most people who enjoy drinking wine would
without any training agree on best vs. worst wines and some gradations in
between.

Regards

--jb

--
James J. Besemer  503-280-0838 voice
http://cascade-sys.com  503-280-0375 fax
mailto:jb at cascade-sys.com