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Programming blogs

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Re: Programming blogs

#21

Post by usea »

MIKarlsen wrote: post #8
gjolund wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love that video. There is nothing offensive in the video, I think he does a pretty good job explaining how bat shit ridiculous javascript is. If you are writing js professionally and haven't already come to terms with that and the existential crisis it entails... you're gonna have a bad time.

I know I shouldn't be turned off by this, but I so am. And I'm starting to dislike the dev-community more and more for each day I try to learn programming myself. Elitism at its worst. I guess it started a few years back when I started an introductory programming-class at university where I was supposed to learn Java. I had already tried some light-weight languages like HTML and CSS and felt comfortable modding Wordp…

The mockery/bullying that happens around technology decisions in the field is regrettable. It's really unfortunate that this kind of behavior turned you off of programming or any curious pursuit. That's not cool. Definitely do not let this attitude affect you at all.

But it's also not a behavior that is particularly uncommon outside of software. It's a kind of tribalism that you often see in communities everywhere. Sometimes people get picky and petty over their interests, careers, hobbies, etc. Game console choice, child-raising, criminal justice, fashion, anywhere the word "proper" is used. People are quick to get emotional about things they care about, and act out of emotion. I'm not excusing it, but it's pervasive. I know I'm guilty of it sometimes.

I hope I've never turned anybody off of learning with that kind of attitude.

Re: Programming blogs

#23

Post by specialist »

justifier wrote: post #16
MIKarlsen wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know I shouldn't be turned off by this, but I so am. And I'm starting to dislike the dev-community more and more for each day I try to learn programming myself. Elitism at its worst. I guess it started a few years back when I started an introductory programming-class at university where I was supposed to learn Java. I had already tried some light-weight languages like HTML and CSS and felt comfortable modding Wordp…

trash talk can be important(o) the wat video in particular is more than an attempt at insulting javascript it is an education, and an important one one of undefined or odd behaviour it strengthens anyone who watches it because you can move past the 'am i the only one who thinks this is odd' into the 'this is the spec, my work needs to be mindful of it, and now how do i use this knowledge to my advantage' (o) edit: in…

Trash talk can be an antidote to groupthink, fanaticism, stampeding of the toads.

Re: Programming blogs

#24

Post by dionidium »

usea wrote: post #21
MIKarlsen wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know I shouldn't be turned off by this, but I so am. And I'm starting to dislike the dev-community more and more for each day I try to learn programming myself. Elitism at its worst. I guess it started a few years back when I started an introductory programming-class at university where I was supposed to learn Java. I had already tried some light-weight languages like HTML and CSS and felt comfortable modding Wordp…

The mockery/bullying that happens around technology decisions in the field is regrettable. It's really unfortunate that this kind of behavior turned you off of programming or any curious pursuit. That's not cool. Definitely do not let this attitude affect you at all. But it's also not a behavior that is particularly uncommon outside of software. It's a kind of tribalism that you often see in communities everywhere. S…

I don't want anybody to get turned off from anything they want to do, but I think it's worth realizing that we used to see tribalism as a badge of honor. You don't feel like you belong when you're young or just starting out because you don't yet belong.

I remember reading programming blogs when I was starting to program and instead of feeling like those guys were elitist jerks who were excluding me, I thought, man, you know, I want to someday know as much as they do.

Re: Programming blogs

#25

Post by dionidium »

MIKarlsen wrote: post #8
gjolund wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love that video. There is nothing offensive in the video, I think he does a pretty good job explaining how bat shit ridiculous javascript is. If you are writing js professionally and haven't already come to terms with that and the existential crisis it entails... you're gonna have a bad time.

I know I shouldn't be turned off by this, but I so am. And I'm starting to dislike the dev-community more and more for each day I try to learn programming myself. Elitism at its worst. I guess it started a few years back when I started an introductory programming-class at university where I was supposed to learn Java. I had already tried some light-weight languages like HTML and CSS and felt comfortable modding Wordp…

So fuck the haters - I'm learning Javascript, and it's gonna help me build some super cool apps that will help a lot of people!

It sounds like the trash talk you encountered actually taught you a very important lesson, in the end.

Re: Programming blogs

#26

Post by mbrock »

MIKarlsen wrote: post #8
gjolund wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love that video. There is nothing offensive in the video, I think he does a pretty good job explaining how bat shit ridiculous javascript is. If you are writing js professionally and haven't already come to terms with that and the existential crisis it entails... you're gonna have a bad time.

I know I shouldn't be turned off by this, but I so am. And I'm starting to dislike the dev-community more and more for each day I try to learn programming myself. Elitism at its worst. I guess it started a few years back when I started an introductory programming-class at university where I was supposed to learn Java. I had already tried some light-weight languages like HTML and CSS and felt comfortable modding Wordp…

I don't make fun of JavaScript except in the company of fellow JS coders.

I think it has great aspects, and awful aspects, from a technological and just logical perspective, and I suspect even its creators would agree.

Still, I am too weary to see it as anything but a part of the reality of software in 2016. The language was designed in a hurry for commercial reasons, and subject to entirely different design constraints compared to, say, Haskell, which was designed by an academic committee over several years and with no demand for fast shipping, implementation, or familiarity for mainstream coders.

"Wat" to me is a satirical expression concerning the illogical and frustrating situations in which we nevertheless find ourselves needing to operate.

Despite my general appreciation of the language, it hurts me, and "Wat" is a warning that reminds me to be very careful with the treacherous semantics.

(But then, few languages get equality right.)

Re: Programming blogs

#27

Post by specialist »

gjolund wrote: post #6
devy wrote: post #2

I love Gary Bernhardt's writings, screencasts and lightning talks and his sense of humor, especially this one[1]. But unfortunately, some JavaScript developers might feel it offensive. [1] https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/wat

I love that video. There is nothing offensive in the video, I think he does a pretty good job explaining how bat shit ridiculous javascript is. If you are writing js professionally and haven't already come to terms with that and the existential crisis it entails... you're gonna have a bad time.

"the existential crisis it entails"

The XML years were some pretty dark times. Pointing out the obvious wasn't appreciated. And so this too shall pass.

I'm super duper impressed by what people accomplish with HTML + CSS + JS. But, wow, the effort involved. Like pushing rope. Drinking the ocean. Juggling plates during a riot. Ironing a shirt while someone's hosing you down with a water cannon.

And the bit rot. Turn around twice and your crap has stopped working. It's worse than anything I experienced doing Windows development.

But maybe the constant renewal, the need for constant energy investment to counter entropy, maybe that's the virtue of "web development". It certainly prevents any status quo from forming.

Re: Programming blogs

#28

Post by dmit »

Here are some software engineering blogs from my RSS reader in addition to the ones listed in TFA. I honestly don't know how over or underrated they are, but I guess that varies depending on which communities you're closer to.

Mikola Lysenko https://0fps.net

Graphics programming, geometry and algorithms.

---

Steven Wittens http://acko.net

Not underrated in any sense of the word, but I have to include it in case there are people who haven't seen it yet. It's about math and graphics, but also about art and design. Amazingly educational. http://acko.net/blog/how-to-fold-a-julia-fractal/ is a good starting point for new readers.

---

Mark Nottingham https://www.mnot.net/blog/

Networking and HTTP.

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Jeff Preshing http://preshing.com

Efficient concurrent data structures.

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Bruce Dawson https://randomascii.wordpress.com

Software efficiency, performance optimization, fractals and more.

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Yann Collet http://fastcompression.blogspot.com

Modern compression algorithms.

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Gil Tene http://stuff-gil-says.blogspot.com

Also definitely not underrated, at least not in the Java world. But any engineer who cares about latency and honest benchmarks will benefit. Low latency techniques, GC performance, lock-free programming.

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Tony Finch http://fanf.livejournal.com

C and UNIX programming, and more.

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Andy Wingo https://wingolog.org

Scheme, Compilers, JavaScript, and much more.

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Aleksey Shipilёv http://shipilev.net

JDK internals, low-level optimization.

Re: Programming blogs

#30

Post by gjolund »

specialist wrote: post #27
gjolund wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love that video. There is nothing offensive in the video, I think he does a pretty good job explaining how bat shit ridiculous javascript is. If you are writing js professionally and haven't already come to terms with that and the existential crisis it entails... you're gonna have a bad time.

"the existential crisis it entails" The XML years were some pretty dark times. Pointing out the obvious wasn't appreciated. And so this too shall pass. I'm super duper impressed by what people accomplish with HTML + CSS + JS. But, wow, the effort involved. Like pushing rope. Drinking the ocean. Juggling plates during a riot. Ironing a shirt while someone's hosing you down with a water cannon. And the bit rot. Turn ar…

Going forward I am now blaming entropy, and not crappy contractors, for destroying my work.

You have now allowed me to shift a huge burden of antagonistic feelings from human beings onto the fundamental nature of the universe.

I can now be no more upset about coming back to broken code than I would be at the shape of the milky way galaxy.

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