> Programming a pong game would probably seem like genius level intelligence to many outsiders. Sure, most here don't think that, right? That doesn't mean you understand serious computer concepts and the sort of things that are Knuth's "Art," right?
But not programming a pong game and just learning from the book also doesn't mean you understand serious computer concepts. I've seen examples of it at my university. "Understand" does not mean "repeat it on the next test", nor does it mean "repeat the definition you memorized from the book". It means being able to manipulate the concept in your mind, to infer consequences, to think of alternatives, and most importantly, to put it into use.
So my belief still is that bulding stuff correlates with understanding more, than book-learning alone. (I'm not saying builders don't learn - they do, but not what they're told when they're told, but what they need when they need it).
But not programming a pong game and just learning from the book also doesn't mean you understand serious computer concepts. I've seen examples of it at my university. "Understand" does not mean "repeat it on the next test", nor does it mean "repeat the definition you memorized from the book". It means being able to manipulate the concept in your mind, to infer consequences, to think of alternatives, and most importantly, to put it into use.
So my belief still is that bulding stuff correlates with understanding more, than book-learning alone. (I'm not saying builders don't learn - they do, but not what they're told when they're told, but what they need when they need it).