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How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

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Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#31

Post by nkozyra »

This may seem pedantic, but this is an aspect of project management. The pen and paper aren't in the coding, they're in the design.

You may be doing some abstractions/pseudo code on paper but you're not coding. You're planning.

There's nothing wrong with this! I think it's a great way to operate. But it's less sexy to say "How I Plan: Pen and Paper" then to conflate it with coding.

Everyone does planning. Some people do it on-the-fly while coding. Some people do it in their head. Some people write it down.

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#32

Post by aswinmohanme »

We write code in paper, all the way upto college. Sometimes you get the privilege of a lab, but everything is mostly handwritten on paper even in a Computer Science major. Assignments cannot be typed, you'd have to handwrite everything, exams are on paper where you write pages of code.

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#33

Post by stan_rogers »

nkozyra wrote: post #31

This may seem pedantic, but this is an aspect of project management. The pen and paper aren't in the coding, they're in the design. You may be doing some abstractions/pseudo code on paper but you're not coding. You're planning. There's nothing wrong with this! I think it's a great way to operate. But it's less sexy to say "How I Plan: Pen and Paper" then to conflate it with coding. Everyone does planning. Some people…

No, the author is actually writing code using pen and paper. It's not just a high-level or organisational sketch. It's not just planning. What happens at the computer afterwards can best be described as transcription and debugging.

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#34

Post by yesenadam »

klyrs wrote: post #10

It's funny, this take is way spicier than "I don't use an IDE", but the comments here are so supportive and nice.

Maybe because it's so different? Is there a law that groups tend to fight more with those only slightly different? Like the People's Front of Judea probably fought with the Judean People's Front more than with the Romans..

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#35

Post by nkozyra »

stan_rogers wrote: post #33
nkozyra wrote: post #31

This may seem pedantic, but this is an aspect of project management. The pen and paper aren't in the coding, they're in the design. You may be doing some abstractions/pseudo code on paper but you're not coding. You're planning. There's nothing wrong with this! I think it's a great way to operate. But it's less sexy to say "How I Plan: Pen and Paper" then to conflate it with coding. Everyone does planning. Some people…

No, the author is actually writing code using pen and paper. It's not just a high-level or organisational sketch. It's not just planning. What happens at the computer afterwards can best be described as transcription and debugging.

I find it pretty unlikely that this entry:

> I opened my laptop, created a new Github repository, typed in the code, added some tests and wrote the README. It was probably all done in 4 or 5 hours of concentrated work.

Means handwritten code verbatim went into the repo. The focus on iteration is great - it would be unusual to stop at this point.

But if we say the written word is canon, my response is that's inefficient. It is indeed the planning that is most valuable when putting pen to paper.

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#36

Post by ksec »

eljimmy wrote: post #28

Server is running out of juice, here's a cached text-version from Google: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8XIZNjh... On a similar note as the author, I enjoy stepping away from the screen to code, though it's mostly for problems I'm stuck on. There's been many times where I've been lying in bed thinking about a problem and I suddenly think up a possible solution in my head and then run to my comp…

>Server is running out of juice

Is time we bring back Static web page. We have Modern MultiCore CPU and SSD. Surely 99% of personal webpage shouldn't require a call to DB.

Edit: Oh interesting this is from the oringal author of Sequel.

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#37

Post by Zababa »

klyrs wrote: post #10

It's funny, this take is way spicier than "I don't use an IDE", but the comments here are so supportive and nice.

It's because the real conflict (up front design vs finding as you code) is hidden by the small quirk of writing code with pen and paper. Rename the article "why TDD is useless", change the angle a bit and you'll create way more controversy.

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#40

Post by beerandt »

nkozyra wrote: post #31

This may seem pedantic, but this is an aspect of project management. The pen and paper aren't in the coding, they're in the design. You may be doing some abstractions/pseudo code on paper but you're not coding. You're planning. There's nothing wrong with this! I think it's a great way to operate. But it's less sexy to say "How I Plan: Pen and Paper" then to conflate it with coding. Everyone does planning. Some people…

My cs classes in college gave quizzes via webpage or email, but the actual exams were on paper, hand writing actual code. Multiple pages of it.

It actually helped make things stick better, after initially adjusting to it.

Afterwards, I would end up typing code more deliberately, and found myself tapping delete far fewer times.

Very similar experience to learning drafting-by-hand before CAD.

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