Lee Bell  wrote:

I wrote of someone else's comment:

> > > I'm starting to really hate all the new computers.
> > > They've made the algorithms so
> > > damned conservative that it sucks.

> > Why would that be so?
> > Why is that a problem with them?

And you wrote:

> Mostly it's a problem because it replaces the owner's judgement with that of
> the programmer.

That's an observant comment, never heard it like that before.

> > Most would know that I'm not one for (diving) computers, that I like
> > to use what's between my ears, empty or not. In this regard I ascribe
> > to what Bob, Feesh, whatever moniker he's calling himself today,
> > appears to say.

My comment above as to the emptiness between my ears was meant to be
humorous, obviously Bob did not see it that way and I'll leave it,
particularly his comments, at that.

> Last time I dove with Bob and, if I can believe posts by those who have been
> diving with him since, he carries more than one computer.  He obviously
> values the information they provide.  While he is one of the strongest
> advocates of using the organic computer between your ears, I think you've
> misjudged his meaning.  I think that he, and a lot of others, prefer any
> adjustments to what a tried and true algorithm be done by them, based on the
> output from their organic computers and not arbitrarily assigned by some
> programmer who may not even be a diver.
>
> Or maybe I've misjudged your meaning.

I rather believe you have. I suggest that not a few diving computer
users would have no idea what algorithm even means, that most
computers have been "dumbed down" to the lowest common denominator
level as, indeed, have so many other things.

That most diving computer manufacturers have "dumbed them down" simply
to save their own skins as far as the law is concerned.

Actually, I personally consider them extremely brave to even still
manufacture the things, given the little that we really know about
pressure related incidents, the increasing prevalence of extremely
young divers and, dare I say it, the often casual training of new
divers of whatever other age.

Cheers,

Christian
--
The danger from computers is not that they will eventually get as smart
as humans, but that we will meanwhile agree to meet them halfway. Unattributed.