On Fri, Feb 29, 2008 at 07:24:41AM +0530, Girish Venkatachalam wrote:
quoted text
> On 09:42:17 Feb 28, Steve Shockley wrote:
> 
> > Recipes don't teach you how to cook.
> 
> I can second this ...
> 
> In spite of my making mistakes and experimentation
> I still cannot be sure how my dish will end up tasting.

One needs the right kind of cookbook (which cannot be
a culinary howto).

"The uninitiated will perhaps find these explanations
tiresome.  But, on closer examination, you will realize
that they are indispensible because they embody the
fundamental principles, methods, procedures, etc., that,
provided the explanations have been understood, will
allow you to achieve perfect success in any recipe
you undertake."  (Madame E. Saint-Ange)

Toning down the hyperbolic flourish at the end, it
brings to mind the man pages and the FAQ (which, as
we all surely agree, is infinitely superior to any
collection of mere howtos).