[Koller] Knuth

[Stewart Stremler]

Robert La Quey feverishly banged on the keyboard to produce:
> 
[snip]
> I suspect I have as much respect for Knuth as any of the rest of you, 
> but I fell compelled to point out that there are other constraints 
> that often come into play. Many talented people do not have the 
> luxury to spend 9 years on their problem. 

True.

> Knuth had not just the talent, but also the temperament, and the support 
> to do this work. When we admire someone we should perhaps ask .. what
> is is that we admire?

His style. :)
 
> I suspect that there are at least a dozen other people on this planet 
> who might well have his talent and temprament but who were not gifted 
> with his situation. So while I admire Knuth, I also admire the good 
> fortune he found in his environment. 

His situation was due, partly, to his talent and temperment. 

> There are 6 Billion people out there. Perhaps few of them have Knuth's 
> talents, but still fewer have his opportunities. For every Knuth there
> are dozen wasted talents ... i.e. one in 500 Million. 

Maybe. It's that temperment thing. I would think that many of those 
"wasted talents" would have different priorities; it's not that they
don't have the opportunity, it's that they don't TAKE the opportunity.
They choose differently, and end up in different situations by their
own choice. . .

-- 
  Stewart Stremler    /   Big whirls have little whirls   \   Compendium
     stremler         \      which feed on their velocity  \  Technologies
        @             /   Little whirls have lesser whirls, \_________________
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