Is learning algorithms and datastructures really important?
cperciva: Learning algorithms and data structures is important because:1. Knowing the standard algorithms and data structures will allow you to figure out which one you should be using, even if you're just doing that via an external library.2. Knowing the standard algorithms and data structures will help you in cases where you want something which is almost but not quite standard.  For example, I recently wrote a no-inserts hash table, because for my particular application I wanted to start with a populated table and then gradually remove entries; by removing the ability to insert entries, I made the code much simpler and faster (no need for rehashing!) -- but if I hadn't been entirely familiar with standard hash tables, I wouldn't have been able to do this.3. Studying the standard algorithms and data structures gives you an opportunity to learn how to think about algorithms and data structures.  Even if you live your life without ever needing to sort a list, having studied sorting algorithms will make it easier for you to figure out the best way to solve whatever obscure domain-specific problems you do encounter.