A better way to say it would be background knowledge.
Some idea of:
- How computer hardware is put together (from the NAND gate up)
- How computer memory is organized/optimized
(and how the abstractions involved can break down)
- How compilers/interpreters/computer languages work
- How a handful of the most commonly used algorithms work
(and the implications of their time/space complexity)
- How networks are organized and implemented
- What operating systems do, and how that relates to hardware
- Basic security, how exploits work
The thing I see, is a lot of people learn something about the above, but only in the very narrow confines of their particular web development stack. I suspect they're just reciting a set of best practices by rote without understanding principles. They're completely unable to generalize the knowledge, to the point where they say patently incorrect things in comments, even sometimes here on HN. If people can't generalize in a basic way about computer systems, how do they properly think about things like security?
It's like my sister, who is a choreographer and has an exquisite understanding of physics and geometry -- as it applies to dancers. Yet, as far as I can tell, she's completely unable to generalize this to driving and furniture, though she would benefit greatly if she could overcome this limitation. For one thing, when she's driving the family around in a rented car in Italy, she wouldn't end up straddling the center line every time we go around a blind curve. For another thing, her DIY kitchen table made from salvaged parts wouldn't have 3 inches of shear wobble, and her custom desk made from IKEA parts wouldn't have a huge sag in its center. I know she understands the physical ideas behind static mechanics and diagonal bracing applied to dance. I know she has a knack for spatial geometry, because she can have a half dozen dancers move around between each other, keep them from colliding, get everyone where they need to go for the next move, and make the whole thing look beautiful.
I'm also reminded of that Richard Feynman story about teaching physics in Brazil.
Some idea of:
The thing I see, is a lot of people learn something about the above, but only in the very narrow confines of their particular web development stack. I suspect they're just reciting a set of best practices by rote without understanding principles. They're completely unable to generalize the knowledge, to the point where they say patently incorrect things in comments, even sometimes here on HN. If people can't generalize in a basic way about computer systems, how do they properly think about things like security?It's like my sister, who is a choreographer and has an exquisite understanding of physics and geometry -- as it applies to dancers. Yet, as far as I can tell, she's completely unable to generalize this to driving and furniture, though she would benefit greatly if she could overcome this limitation. For one thing, when she's driving the family around in a rented car in Italy, she wouldn't end up straddling the center line every time we go around a blind curve. For another thing, her DIY kitchen table made from salvaged parts wouldn't have 3 inches of shear wobble, and her custom desk made from IKEA parts wouldn't have a huge sag in its center. I know she understands the physical ideas behind static mechanics and diagonal bracing applied to dance. I know she has a knack for spatial geometry, because she can have a half dozen dancers move around between each other, keep them from colliding, get everyone where they need to go for the next move, and make the whole thing look beautiful.
I'm also reminded of that Richard Feynman story about teaching physics in Brazil.