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Why can't I write code inside my browser?

tomcritchlow.com

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Re: Why can't I write code inside my browser?

#151

Post by Ciantic »

sparsely wrote: post #146
Ciantic wrote: post #143

> Can you imagine if the beginner version of Node.js came pre-installed with a GUI for managing and running your code? It doesn't even need to come pre installed, as long as the GUI could install node almost silently. E.g. if VSCode had some intelligence built like when it sees package.json and would prompt "Would you like to install Node" and it would do it's magic if user wanted. Lots of small problems would need t…

vscode does this when you open a C# file already, makes it very easy to get started.

Great! I didn't know that. I did notice that if you write "python" on Command Prompt of fresh Windows 10, it throws you to the Microsoft Store to install python. Which is kind of cool too.

Re: Why can't I write code inside my browser?

#152

Post by unishark »

EdwardDiego wrote: post #56
makapuf wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm happy to be that old guy who learned programming with magazine articles(and a pirated copy of turbo Pascal. You really appreciated that hypertext help.)

I'm impressed you did, I tried to learn the same way when I was younger, (albeit with pirated Borland C++) but never made any headway. Admittedly the library books I had access to were obsolete, and no-one in my rural area of a small country carried decent magazines on the subject. That said, they did carry BBS magazines which led me eventually into the nascent WWW over the 14.4K modem I saved all my pocket money to…

I also got stuck on C++. It was (and remains) such a disproportionate pain to compile, which was just too high a hurdle in the days before you could search for your cryptic build errors on the internet.

I was able to fool around with BASIC easily enough, with entire programs provided in magazines like Byte.

Re: Why can't I write code inside my browser?

#153

Post by Dma54rhs »

ChrisSD wrote: post #24

Firefox used to have a "scratchpad" for doing code in the browser, albeit somewhat barebones. Unfortunately it was more or less abandoned and eventually removed. It would have been nice to see it expanded instead. A full on node environment would be a bridge too far IMHO but it would have been great to have added a good way to reuse modules and some more GUI niceties. It did have full access to the current web page s…

Hmm, what about so called bookmarklets? You fire up js console obviously too, or use tanpermonkey, or make a local extension. There are really vast options out there and people do use them one way or another.

Re: Why can't I write code inside my browser?

#154

Post by mrweasel »

user-the-name wrote: post #104
kichimi wrote: post #96

I try to keep my comments nice on HN but in this case I can't, I've met this kind of person many times now and I just can't hold back. The author is lazy, and is channeling his energy into complaining rather than learning. He believes he is by default an expert on the 'user friendliness' of programming. His comments don't really make much sense, and come across as whining that should be ignored. "People hate command…

The author is 100% correct on everything. Programming is massively over-complicated for no useful reason. Programmers tend to get very proud of the completely pointless knowledge they have to acquire to use the pointlessly complicated tools they do, and they confuse that with being clever. It's not. It's really not. Nothing has to be this esoteric and annoying. We've just chosen to keep things like this because we th…

While it's a massive simplification of programming as a whole, I think you're at least partly right.

Programming is in some cases over-complicated, for no reason. If you dig deeper however, you'll sometimes learn that the thing you considered overly complicated, was actually designed that way, not to annoy you, but because the same tool has to support use cases you didn't consider or don't understand.

That's not to say that things couldn't be simpler in many cases.

Re: Why can't I write code inside my browser?

#155

Post by jorams »

0-_-0 wrote: post #144
kichimi wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Node.js is a command line program, intended for writing server side applications on headless servers.

The command line is a layer of abstraction that could be made unnecessary for programming. You could program in Turbo Pascal without a command line in the 90s

What would be the layer below it? It's certainly not GUIs, which are a significantly more complex layer of abstraction.

Re: Why can't I write code inside my browser?

#156

Post by _f9cu »

kichimi wrote: post #96

I try to keep my comments nice on HN but in this case I can't, I've met this kind of person many times now and I just can't hold back. The author is lazy, and is channeling his energy into complaining rather than learning. He believes he is by default an expert on the 'user friendliness' of programming. His comments don't really make much sense, and come across as whining that should be ignored. "People hate command…

How is your comment different from his post?

Why I am questioning you is that You cannot call the author lazy. Just because one post gives you that opinion, doesn't mean he is a lazy person.

The author gave a fresh opinion about web browsers and shared it with everyone. appreciate that.

Problem - Browsers dont allow us to write code/ Solution - create browser extension / use console.

Thinkers talk, doers do.

Re: Why can't I write code inside my browser?

#157

Post by avindroth »

user-the-name wrote: post #104
kichimi wrote: post #96

I try to keep my comments nice on HN but in this case I can't, I've met this kind of person many times now and I just can't hold back. The author is lazy, and is channeling his energy into complaining rather than learning. He believes he is by default an expert on the 'user friendliness' of programming. His comments don't really make much sense, and come across as whining that should be ignored. "People hate command…

The author is 100% correct on everything. Programming is massively over-complicated for no useful reason. Programmers tend to get very proud of the completely pointless knowledge they have to acquire to use the pointlessly complicated tools they do, and they confuse that with being clever. It's not. It's really not. Nothing has to be this esoteric and annoying. We've just chosen to keep things like this because we th…

You say it like pointing out an obvious problem is hard to do. Programming is a very complicated activity, and of course it can be improved. Anything can be improved. There is no doubt about that.

The question is whether it is easy to improve.

Writing good software is hard. You say it like programmers have ego, but you know what is better than ego? Money. People would lay down their ego to make money (by making a more user-friendly app).

But clearly it’s hard to write good apps. If you try any graphical programs you would see that it sucks. You default back to the terminal and vim because it’s better. I choose what works, not what gives me pride because this is work not hobby.

Re: Why can't I write code inside my browser?

#158

Post by _f9cu »

deepstack wrote: post #128
kichimi wrote: post #96

I try to keep my comments nice on HN but in this case I can't, I've met this kind of person many times now and I just can't hold back. The author is lazy, and is channeling his energy into complaining rather than learning. He believes he is by default an expert on the 'user friendliness' of programming. His comments don't really make much sense, and come across as whining that should be ignored. "People hate command…

Thank you!!! Finally someone can say it. I've being extremely frustrated by developers who don't want to learn coding and just jumping on the band wagon cause it is the "IN" thing now.

Everyone will go through anger and frustration phase. Be supportive.

Re: Why can't I write code inside my browser?

#159

Post by slifin »

kichimi wrote: post #96

I try to keep my comments nice on HN but in this case I can't, I've met this kind of person many times now and I just can't hold back. The author is lazy, and is channeling his energy into complaining rather than learning. He believes he is by default an expert on the 'user friendliness' of programming. His comments don't really make much sense, and come across as whining that should be ignored. "People hate command…

I make no opinion on the author but something like this: https://twitter.com/ibdknox/status/1328797793138266113?s=20

Does make me think programming can be radically different and maybe a lot easier

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