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Re: OT: learning curve (was: a little comparison of procmail and maildrop)



On Fri, Oct 31, 2003 at 05:04:06PM +0100, René Clerc wrote:
> * Allister MacLeod <amacleod@xxxxxxxx> [31-10-2003 17:01]:
> > Seems like they're about equivalent in capability and learning-curve
> > to me..  though you have a point that the C-like syntax of maildrop
> > might make the curve a little lower for some people.
> You mean steeper.
> http://www.crh.noaa.gov/library/Grammar/Learn-curve.html

Yes, yes.. I suppose I do.  I made the classical layman's mistake of
thinking of the learning curve as a hill one has to climb.  Of course,
the curve is a plot of knowledge versus time, so the goal is to get
high quickly. :^)

Actually, what the familiar syntax would probably really do is to
start the learning curve at a higher point at time zero.  Therefore if
the curve flattens out at "comfortable knowledge," and if that
flattening occurs at time=N, then the curve from time=0 would be
shallower for the higher start than for the knowledge=0 start.

Of course, the fallacy with that argument is the assumption that it
would take the ahead-of-the-curve person equally long to reach
"comfortable knowledge" as it would for the person starting from
scratch.

So yeah.. either I meant a steeper curve, or I meant a curve with a
higher start point, maybe an "earlier curve."  Thanks for the link,
though.  I always like to be set straight when I make mistakes.

Ciao,
 Allister

-- 
Allister MacLeod <amacleod@xxxxxxxx>
 Elen síla lúmenn'omentielvo.