"My current theory is that programming is quite literally writing."
1–10 of 199 posts
Re: "My current theory is that programming is quite literally writing."
#2Actually the article is missing one thing. Yes, you need to be able to express yourself in the (programming) language.
But, and here is the thing, the hard part is not learning the words and the grammar, nor actually writing in the language using the said words and grammar.
No the hard problem is figuring out WHAT to say and HOW say it to make others (humans or computers, depending if it is a natural or programming language).
In terms if human language it is about formulating a narrative story that presents the problem and the solution to the reader.
In terms of programming language it is about describing the data structures, data transformations and transactions/communications needed to perform the task.
This is the hard part and that is what separates good writers and good programmers from their lousy counterparts.
BTW: I hope this was parseable.
Re: "My current theory is that programming is quite literally writing."
#3I think he's right.
In college, my CS 2 class was taught by a professor very different than the rest of the teachers there. He wanted all of your programming assignments on paper[1]. Then, you'd get it back with every possible bug marked in your program, and he very rarely missed any[2].
That was the first time in college I thought "I really need to learn how to do that!"
I went to a state school, so maybe all you guys with your degrees from fancy schools wouldn't be that impressed, but the difference between this professor and the rest there was gigantic. (He retired that year in a round of state-wide budget cuts, so that's the last class I had him.)
[1] A lot of the other teachers wanted you to hand in binaries so they can see it run. Sometimes with the code, sometimes not.
[2] I actually don't know of any case where he did, but I'm not saying "never."
Re: "My current theory is that programming is quite literally writing."
#4He is right. Good writing is sussicint, concise, and says a lot with a little. Good programming is clear and does a lot with a little.
Re: "My current theory is that programming is quite literally writing."
#5So what's good example code?
Sadly (and tellingly) it's not necessarily the most successful code (success comes from meeting user needs, not from good code), but how else can you judge it, apart from reading it. This is made worse because it's hard to tell if code is necessarily complex without understanding the problem it solves, which may be complex. Further, if you don't yet know what good code is, how can you recognize it? Of course, if you are intelligent and reflective and try ideas out, you can learn from both code and bad - it's all raw material, grist for the mill.
IMHO the hard part of programming is understanding the problem to be solved. The solving is easy.
Re: "My current theory is that programming is quite literally writing."
#6I'm a little suspect if this analogy goes beyond "theoretical understanding without practical experience is worthless". You could draw a similar analogy between architects who know everything about architecture but don't know how to design proper buildings because they have no experience. Or painter who knows everything about technique but can't paint a horse and so on.
It is easy to find differences between good writing and good code: Uniformity in code is good, while uniformity in prose is bad. In writing, a large vocabulary is an advantage, it's difficult to see if that is the case in language. In programming, proper abstractions are essential while I can't really see the equivalent of that in writing.
As far as analogies go, I can't see how this one is much better than others.
Re: "My current theory is that programming is quite literally writing."
#7Programming isn't about writing. It's about logic. It's a series of instructions for a computer to follow.
The old 'write down how to tie shoes' or 'write down how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich' projects show just how hard it can be to pin down exactly what needs to be done to do seemingly simple tasks.
The writing is merely how to you transmit the logic.
Re: "My current theory is that programming is quite literally writing."
#8I think he's right. In college, my CS 2 class was taught by a professor very different than the rest of the teachers there. He wanted all of your programming assignments on paper[1]. Then, you'd get it back with every possible bug marked in your program, and he very rarely missed any[2]. That was the first time in college I thought "I really need to learn how to do that!" I went to a state school, so maybe all you gu…
From what I've heard, professors in prestigious schools aren't any better at teaching. They're hired for their prestige and research ability.
Re: "My current theory is that programming is quite literally writing."
#9Actually the article is missing one thing. Yes, you need to be able to express yourself in the (programming) language. But, and here is the thing, the hard part is not learning the words and the grammar, nor actually writing in the language using the said words and grammar. No the hard problem is figuring out WHAT to say and HOW say it to make others (humans or computers, depending if it is a natural or programming l…
I don't think this is missing from the article, it's actually what the author said. If you only learn the words and the grammar, without seeing how they are used to express things (and without trying to express things), you won't learn foreign language/programming.
Re: "My current theory is that programming is quite literally writing."
#10Oh come on. Programming is not writing. When you're reading a novel you don't have to worry about concurrent access to a resource, threads, asynchronous events, or even much less conditional branching. With all due respect, I think this is just an inane post. That said, I can't blame the guy for dropping software development and moving to Japan to teach ESL. I often entertain similar fantasies all the time - programming is a great way to have the zest for life sucked straight out of you
Edit: Would someone have the courtesy to mention why they are downvoting?