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Subject:Re: References to the "Learning Curve" From:Richard Mateosian <srm -at- CYBERPASS -dot- NET> Date:Mon, 4 May 1998 23:03:47 -0700
>
> Would someone on the list please tell me what the "learning curve" looks =
> like. People keep referring to difficult software as having a "steep =
> learning curve".
In Oct 94 this came up on the copyediting list. I just happen to have
my original posting handy:
The interpretation I used to consider clear and unambiguous is that a task
has a steep learning curve if you cannot master it without acquiring many
difficult skills or concepts in a short period of time. What that really
*means* is:
1. There is no slow orderly path to mastery of the task.
2. Everything seems to depend on everything else, so you have to acquire
many difficult skills and concepts before taking the simplest steps.
I can see that the situation requires a better metaphor. ...RM
Richard Mateosian <srm -at- cyberpass -dot- net>
Review Editor, IEEE Micro Berkeley, CA
