Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1999 13:20:39 +1200 From: "Craig Harding" <crh@outpost.co.nz> To: chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Learning curves (was Re: Newbee) Message-ID: <19990828012049.C156614D54@hub.freebsd.org> In-Reply-To: <199908271549.XAA29148@netrinsics.com> References: <Pine.BSF.4.10.9908271045350.4156-100000@megaweapon.zigg.com>
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Michael Robinson wrote: > Matt Behrens <matt@zigg.com> writes: > > >Sorry, I never was good at math. I leave that to the eggheads. The > >important thing is that people understand it. I would wager from > >the widespread acceptance of the phrase that it is widely > >understood despite its apparent inconsistency with mathematical > >practice. > > So, you heard someone use the phrase, a picture popped jumped into > your mind, and you were sufficiently confident that the picture in > your mind was accurate that you started using the phrase yourself, > accordingly? > > I suppose if everybody did the same thing, you might get "widespread > acceptance" of a "widely understood" term that was, in fact, > completely wrong. Define "wrong". You may not like it, but the concept of "steep learning curve" to describe a difficult to learn task is widespread within the computer industry, and has been for some time. The example you cite is from Computational Economics (I think - it's hard to find an decent expansion of the CEF acronym on the pages you reference), an entirely different field, and they appear to have a very different take on the entire concept in terms of an organisational and economic analysis. I can't prove it, but I suspect steep=hard has been in use in the computer industry for far longer than in the CEF example you gave (where the earliest paper that defined the terminology was published in 1990). If I was cynical, I'd suggest that this is probably an example of management researchers once again creating an model of the bleeding obvious and hailing it as a great leap forward in management theory. It helps to make your model seem "new" and "innovative" if you define everything the opposite way to everyone else. BTW, it's not just the computer industry that prefers the steep=hard analogy. Here's a couple of examples: http://cargoinfo.co.za/ftw/98/98au21q.html "It's a steep learning curve for producers as a 'difficult' trading year ends " http://www.usyd.edu.au/su/ctcr/issue10/local.html "Local governments face steep learning curve" http://www.rete.it/f1/en/13/01270.html "07/26/1999 - Steep learning curve for Salo" http://www.dodccrp.org/bosch11b.htm "The Army Reach-Back nodes (figure 11-17) were set up in Germany several days prior to the deployment of the tactical equipment to Bosnia, Croatia, and Hungary" -- C. -- Craig Harding crh@outpost.co.nz "I don't know about God, I Outpost Digital Media Ltd crh@inspire.net.nz just think we're handmade" http://www.outpost.co.nz ICQ# 26701833 - Polly To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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