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.