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A comment on Ask HN: Why do many CS graduates lack foundational knowledge?. Parent comment

Re:Ask HN: Why do many CS graduates lack foundational knowle... by oriolid on Monday March 20, 2023 @05:29AM (#35229147)
> How many database programmers do you know who ever did anything involving relational algebra when creating or tuning up a database?

...and this explains why database designs are what they are. It's also why you don't learn SQL and if you do you never admit it: It condemns you to a lifetime of maintaining CRUDs written by people who don't understand relational algebra.

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Re:Ask HN: Why do many CS graduates lack foundational knowle... by simplotek on Monday March 20, 2023 @05:42AM (#35229241)
> ...and this explains why database designs are what they are.

You mean good enough?

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Re:Ask HN: Why do many CS graduates lack foundational knowle... by oriolid on Monday March 20, 2023 @07:35AM (#35230089)
Good enough as in constant burden but not bad enough to fail the whole project.
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Re:Ask HN: Why do many CS graduates lack foundational knowle... by simplotek on Monday March 20, 2023 @08:11AM (#35230379)
> Good enough as in constant burden

Are they, though? Or are you just trying to put up a strawman?

Because I assure you plenty of highly reliable infrastructure is running 24-7 without the faintest concern over normalization.

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Re:Ask HN: Why do many CS graduates lack foundational knowle... by oriolid on Monday March 20, 2023 @10:02AM (#35231629)
> Or are you just trying to put up a strawman?

Writing from personal experience. I can also assure you that a lot of this highly reliable infrastructure works only because a lot of tears and cursing that could have avoided if the designers had any idea what they were doing.

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