I don't think I was clear in my comment, I personally find great joy in learning things (which makes me something of an autodidact) its just one of those things.
My desire to understand things though has never been a hindrance to using them. Long before I understood how compilers worked I was using them daily, long before I understood how PN junctions did what they did I was soldering diodes into boards.
It only generates tension when I want some tool to do something that it cannot do, and reasoning about whether the constraint is due to the tool or the implementation of the tool can only happen if I really understand what the tool is actually doing.
agree. it's when something doesn't work at the edges and you desperately need it to is when you're often ready to learn. motivation (desperation ;-) is a marvelous incentive.
My desire to understand things though has never been a hindrance to using them. Long before I understood how compilers worked I was using them daily, long before I understood how PN junctions did what they did I was soldering diodes into boards.
It only generates tension when I want some tool to do something that it cannot do, and reasoning about whether the constraint is due to the tool or the implementation of the tool can only happen if I really understand what the tool is actually doing.