Did you go to college

[Phopojijo]

Originally Posted by kiff

if you're talking quantum computing sure, otherwise it's just speeding up the current paradigms

Not really... doesn't really happen much these days -- but certainly there was a huge jump in possible algorithms between 8086 and 80486 instruction sets Nothing says there can't be more instructions...

[theabyss]

Originally Posted by Wild Weasel

I took a few engineering classes and hated it, so I left. I'm now an electrician. I make more money than %85 of the engineers I meet (every job site) and work less hours than them too.

That might very well be, but let me tell you: Money is not everything...
When I got out of school I was glad to finally making some money - and I made very good money during the nineties. However, later when I got older I realized that I'd rather like to have a job that pays less but involves something that I can be excited about...that led to the decision to go back to college.

[kiff]

Originally Posted by Phopojijo

Not really... doesn't really happen much these days -- but certainly there was a huge jump in possible algorithms between 8086 and 80486 instruction sets Nothing says there can't be more instructions...

actually, that's pretty much backwards from what's happened. reduced instruction sets (RISC and kin) enable a leaner architecture that not only run faster, but allow shorter pipelines (which reduce the performance penalty of a pipeline stall). That said, the number of instructions only make it easier or harder to accomplish the same tasks (at the compiler/assembly lang level). Given Turing completeness, it's all moot.

[Phopojijo]

Originally Posted by kiff

actually, that's pretty much backwards from what's happened. reduced instruction sets (RISC and kin) enable a leaner architecture that not only run faster, but allow shorter pipelines (which reduce the performance penalty of a pipeline stall). That said, the number of instructions only make it easier or harder to accomplish the same tasks (at the compiler/assembly lang level). Given Turing completeness, it's all moot.

Yes I understand RISC processors, pipelines, etc. In fact it's possible to be Turing-complete with only one instruction...

[DarQraven]

But then, all that is irrelevant and useless right? (Quote Fullbleed and T2a')

There's a discrepancy in their line of argument. If this is what is taught in CS, and it's useless/irrelevant in real life, that means they either applied for jobs that were irrelevant to CS or had unfair expectations of CS. They're arguing the other way around.

If I go and study aerospace engineering and then go work at a model airplane shop, yeah ... all those thermodynamics are going to be useless. If you actually get a job at Lockheed or NASA, however, I'm not so sure the same applies.
Same goes for CS and working as a web designer versus working at Intel.