I can speak to this because I have eduacation and work experience in all the relevent fields.

First Steve mentioned that all computer science breakthroughs come from outside their field... I would agree that the source is primarily what is currently termed Operations Research, though its had various names over the last 50 years. Its origins come from World War II wherein American and British assembled their diverse academic resources to solve logistical, planning and mathematical problem associated with maximizing their war effort. This is essentially the field studying methodology of efficiencies - my brother and I both have masters degrees in this. Most of the algortihms taught in computer science come from this field and is termed by many to be the precursor of computer science. (Yes Steve, I know Colosseus predates Eniac and I know that it was designed and built by one man at the British Postal department and based primarily upon his first use of papertape.)

Ok, which is better:
Computer Science (CS) or
Electrical Engineering (EE)?

Easy.

Electical Engineering.

I suppose you'll want an explanation. :)

Its a doctors and nurses comparison.
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Its the depth of knowledge between Engineers and Programmers that make the Doctor and Nurses comparison.

Engineers are taught the big picture. They learn to the atomic level what is going on. They are taught how to apply knowledge to solve a wide spectrum of problems. They brains are shaped into problem solving machines should they survive the ordeal. Survival is not common.

Programmers are taught a trade or service. They accumulate skills that are based upon the trendy languages and computer platforms of the day and as such are dependent upon market changes. They learn pre-digested algorithms as basic ideas and have to spend their careers chasing the latest documentation for Windows X interfaces - an impossible task that results in the resigned acheivement of software that seems to work well enough for now. They should reterm Programmers as Patchers. They turn out something that seems to work for today. That's as far as their interest and understanding goes.

Other factors, personality types:
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The Individualist. Both fields claim to be havens for individualists but having spent lots of time in both worlds, I bestow the title only to engineers.

Programmers tend to be defiants, which some confuse as individualists. I worked once at a company wherein all the programmers had long hair tied into pony-tails, wore rock concert t-shirts and sandals (15 years ago) and all had beards. They were all alike in their defiance to office norms, but there was not an individualist amongst them. Zero variance of behaviour.

The engineering department was nothing but variance. Everything from three piece suits to programmer-wear and no one cared. It wasn't about status, because in the lab, all equal brains were equal regardless of anything else. It was status by intellect only.

The Prime Factor: Money
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Engineering is hard, and the knowledge is expensive. It will always be safer to have salary maintained in a needed group of knowledgeable few.

Programming is easy and the knowledge is cheap. Programmers can be replaced easily and so their pay level suffers. The only time they can acheive great pay is during a speciality crest, where others haven't learned a particular needed talent yet. This promotes sabotaged sharing of information. Programming is essentially tribal.

The money is good because Bill Gates and company are generating constant chaos. If you follow their chaos trail well, you can take advantage.

The Undiscovered Topic
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My comments make programmers look brainless. Its a generalization. Those computer science types with brains usually migrate into the more challenging areas of mathimatics previously mentioned, Operations Research. Since that is not the topic, I'll leave the generalization as is.

The Realm of software
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Programming offers something that no other field has, the Lathe of Heaven. You can create and instantly evaluate. This is by definition a catalyst for intellect development and should lead to high achievement. But it seldom does due to distractions like computer games etc. Its a wonderful tool admidst smaller minds. To invoke the opening scene from the movie, 2001 a Space Odyssey, the monkeys haven't realized withwhat they are playing. Maybe the obelisk hasn't arrived? :)

aka J