[tlug] Pedant's corner

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <steve@??>]

Christian Horn writes:

 > - One of the interesting topics afterwards was the 'steep learning
 >   curve' of the GNU radio software, and how that could be improved.

This drives me nuts.  I have no idea what people who say "steep
learning curve" (derogatory) have pictured in their heads, and I guess
they're not gonna stop[1], but I had to

<rant>
The learning curve is a graph, a picture of a function.  The original
learning curve (Ken Arrow, one of my advisors) was unit cost versus
time.  It was quantified in World War II airframe manufacture and
quickly adapted to all kinds of wartime production.  It was a major
contribution because it made resource planning substantially more
accurate.  It has also been adapted to productivity vs time.

So, a *steep* learning curve means costs drop *quickly* or
productivity rises *quickly*.

*Steep is good.*
</rant>


Footnotes: 
[1]  You probably don't want to, since so many people think of steep
as bad.  And "shallow learning curve" is pretty awkward to think
about.  I just avoid talking about learning curves unless I've
calibrated one, graphed it, and can talk about numerical rates of
costs reduction.  But that discipline is not easy, either. ;-)

-- 
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