[ILUG] Whatever happened to real computer scientists?

[Thomas Bridge]

On 4/26/06, Paul Jakma <paul at clubi.ie> wrote:

> On Wed, 26 Apr 2006, Thomas Bridge wrote:

> > The main theory involved with networking protocols is understanding
> > the OSI layer model and the difference in the various type of layer
> > 3 routing protocols.

> > This doesn't need to be taught as part of a degree - any CCNA is
> > who more than merely a certification monkey has this.

> To administer them, sure.

> But deeper than that and you need stronger knowledge of the theory -

Nope, you don't need to appreciate Dijkstra or Bellman-Ford to design
networks either.

> To work on routing software and improve existing protocols, you need
> an appreciation at least of certain algorithms (Dijkstra,
> Bellman-Ford). To /further/ the state of routing protocols, you
> *definitely* will need a good appreciation of graph theory.

But that is way beyond the day to day requirements of most networks.

> > A year ago I found myself administering and designing a very large
> > network that ran CLNS, and it was the theory that I'd learned that
> > helped

> You didn't learn theory though, least not in the sense I understand
> it (and, I think, not the sense Kevin meant).

Um, yes I did.     And I'm telling you that what was far more useful
was the theory I gathered from previous work with the OSI model and
general CCNA / CCNP stuff than the theory I learned some years
previously.

Thomas

--
Thomas Bridge
CCIE  #14108