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Posted by Jerry Stuckle on 08/10/05 16:09
el_roachmeister@yahoo.com wrote:
> For being a good web programmer, is a course on data structures
> important? It seems php already has built-in functions for what they
> teach in a data structures course. On the other hand all universities
> seem to teach this class. I tried taking one but just found it too
> boring and irrelevant for what I was doing. What are your thoughts?
>
An understanding of data structures is important to write good code in any
language. Normally there are many ways to represent complex data - and no one
"best" way. Rather, there are trade offs between the different ways.
An overly simplistic PHP example - you need to track name/userid/password for
the current user. You can keep the info in three different variables, an array
or a class object. Which way is best is often determined by need to use the
data. And as the data become more complex, so do the available options.
Do you need to take a course on it? Well, if it's part of a curriculum you're
already taking, I'd say go ahead and take it. Otherwise, a good book or two
would be an inexpensive alternative.
As for it being boring and irrelevant. I suspect you found it boring because
you felt it was irrelevant (the instructor might have something to do with that,
also :-)). But this is the type of course which doesn't necessarily have
obvious immediate benefits. A better way to look at things is to figure out how
you can apply what you're learning to your current and recent work. If you're
doing any type of complex data handling at all you should see how the course
material applies. You may find out you're already doing things in the most
optimal way. Or you may find you could make some improvements.
--
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Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
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