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How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

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Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#101

Post by sundarurfriend »

pure_simplicity wrote: post #95
dmingod666 wrote: post #64

I always feel boxed in inside an IDE -- Why can you not attach images inside IDEs? diagrams of what you want to do... I like doing this in notion -- here you can write code with the syntax highlighting and attach all sorts of stuff to the document -- once you've crystalized exactly what you want to build, you can fireup your IDE and get to work. I think it ties with the theme -- A programmers work is not to type thin…

You should check out Julia's built in notebooks. It's basically a script / source file with comments that get rendered as markdown, which means you can add images and it is all rendered nicely in editors that support it. It's better than jupyter notebooks, because they're not big blobs of Json that can only be edited efficiently in the rendered environment, but not as plain text.

I think you're referring to Pluto.jl [1] notebooks? It's an external package, not built in with Julia, but yes it's very nice to just be able to open a notebook in any editor and plays much nicer with version control too. (Or maybe you mean Weave.jl [2] files, though I believe they're the other way around, Markdown with source code sections in it.)

[1] https://github.com/fonsp/Pluto.jl [2] http://weavejl.mpastell.com/stable/

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#102

Post by azaviruha »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #76

HN old-timers probably remember 'edw519, who sadly isn't commenting much anymore. One of the things he is known for is for extensive use of pen/pencil and paper in his programming work - the second part of his day involves printing out listings of whatever code he's working on, and working on them away from the computer. There's a collection of edw519's best comments here: http://static.v25media.com/edw519_mod.html -…

I returned here to say "thank you very much"! That link to the edw519's book is just a gift for me.

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#103

Post by cutemonster »

azaviruha wrote: post #102
TeMPOraL wrote: post #76

HN old-timers probably remember 'edw519, who sadly isn't commenting much anymore. One of the things he is known for is for extensive use of pen/pencil and paper in his programming work - the second part of his day involves printing out listings of whatever code he's working on, and working on them away from the computer. There's a collection of edw519's best comments here: http://static.v25media.com/edw519_mod.html -…

I returned here to say "thank you very much"! That link to the edw519's book is just a gift for me.

I liked it too, thanks for posting it, @TeMPOraL

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#104

Post by edw519 »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #76

HN old-timers probably remember 'edw519, who sadly isn't commenting much anymore. One of the things he is known for is for extensive use of pen/pencil and paper in his programming work - the second part of his day involves printing out listings of whatever code he's working on, and working on them away from the computer. There's a collection of edw519's best comments here: http://static.v25media.com/edw519_mod.html -…

Thanks TeMPOral for the trip down memory lane. I remember you through all those years.

It's true that I don't comment much anymore, but remember, when someone who used to comment with so much energy before slows down, it's probably because they're so busy with the stuff that made them comment in the first place.

I'll be back. Promise.

Thank you! :-)

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#105

Post by TeMPOraL »

edw519 wrote: post #104
TeMPOraL wrote: post #76

HN old-timers probably remember 'edw519, who sadly isn't commenting much anymore. One of the things he is known for is for extensive use of pen/pencil and paper in his programming work - the second part of his day involves printing out listings of whatever code he's working on, and working on them away from the computer. There's a collection of edw519's best comments here: http://static.v25media.com/edw519_mod.html -…

Thanks TeMPOral for the trip down memory lane. I remember you through all those years. It's true that I don't comment much anymore, but remember, when someone who used to comment with so much energy before slows down, it's probably because they're so busy with the stuff that made them comment in the first place. I'll be back. Promise. Thank you! :-)

Thank you :).

When I said that 'you sadly aren't commenting much anymore' I meant that in a selfish sense - it's sad to me, because I enjoyed your comments over the years. I've guessed you must be spending your time on more interesting and rewarding things.

Take care, and see you around!

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#106

Post by galaxyLogic »

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #67
galaxyLogic wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Coding often gives feedback on your plan and design. You may not see its flaws as long as its only in your head or on paper. When you write the code and try to run it on your computer you often realize something is wrong with it. Architects do a similar thing, they visualize in their heads and on paper, but then they also actually build 3D small-scale prototypes to get feedback on their design. So I would say that co…

this is why I made the question about coding being called 'typing', in writing, coding or anything similar when you are at the 'typing' stage you will often revise and think more about what you are doing, add in conditions for edge cases and so forth. It is not just transcribing the thoughts you have already had, it is developing those thoughts at the same time.

That is an important point I believe. code is more concrete than plain thoughts, and concrete things give us better feedback than abstract ideas

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#107

Post by mindentropy »

rramadass wrote: post #96
mindentropy wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have a recommendation for pens?

Oh Man! I went down this rabbit hole quite recently and hence have plenty of information (Note: always check reviews first on Jetpens, Amazon and Youtube ;-) My current favourite is the classic Tombow Zoom 505 series - https://www.tombow.com/en/products/zoom_505/ Not too costly, well made, elegant and professional looking. I have the Rollerball (i.e. water-based ballpoint), Mechanical pencil and Multi-function pen al…

>Next up are the "Parker Jotter Originals" for EDC (https://blog.penvibe.com/parker-ballpoint-pens-ultimate-guid...). They are very affordable and hence i keep them everywhere.

I for some reason don't like the Parker Jotters as they are too thin for my fat fingers. Also the blue color of the ballpoint is too much on the purple side and gives me a headache. I too have one but I don't use it much but I still love it ;-). I am aware of their Gel lines but not sure whether they work for the Jotter.

>Finally, always check the offerings from Japan

I love the Japanese offerings but I don't get much in India. For eg Pentel has its factory in India but manufacturers limited set of models. I love Pentel pens btw but I am not satisfied with its offerings in India.

I am currently using Uniball Signo retractable UMN 207. Although the build and the ink is very nice it skips a lot and I am not sure whether it is because the ink is not designed for Indian weather or paper quality. I do see people having complaints with skipping but not much. I have ordered some UMN 307s and have to see how it fares.

>Many of the OEMs who actually manufacture the pens but which are sold under other well-known brand names are now releasing them under their own name. Two of them are TWSBI(Taiwan) and Penac(Japan).

I am thinking of buying the TWSBI as I really love its unique see through styling. I was thinking of purchasing a Lamy though. I am afraid to use Fountain pens as I work in harsh environments and I am not sure how it will fare but then again our ancestors were using these pens with ease. :-)

>If you are a Fountain Pen connoisseur, you should know that India has a large number of Artisanal Specialist Fountain Pen makers

Yes I am aware but the problem is I think they they import their nibs and just make the body of the pens. Somehow I don't feel like buying this Frankenstein and would love to buy the complete product if they make it.

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#108

Post by rramadass »

mindentropy wrote: post #107
rramadass wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh Man! I went down this rabbit hole quite recently and hence have plenty of information (Note: always check reviews first on Jetpens, Amazon and Youtube ;-) My current favourite is the classic Tombow Zoom 505 series - https://www.tombow.com/en/products/zoom_505/ Not too costly, well made, elegant and professional looking. I have the Rollerball (i.e. water-based ballpoint), Mechanical pencil and Multi-function pen al…

>Next up are the "Parker Jotter Originals" for EDC ( https://blog.penvibe.com/parker-ballpoint-pens-ultimate-guid ...). They are very affordable and hence i keep them everywhere. I for some reason don't like the Parker Jotters as they are too thin for my fat fingers. Also the blue color of the ballpoint is too much on the purple side and gives me a headache. I too have one but I don't use it much but I still love it…

Make sure that you are not confusing "Parker Jotter" with "Parker Classic"; they look similar (the stainless steel ones) but the latter is thinner which many find uncomfortable. And i replace the blue refill with a black one as soon as i get one.

You can find Japanese offerings on Amazon India and if needed, get it directly from Amazon Japan (i do both). You can also contact the resellers (who import from Japan and sell on Amazon India) directly for a better deal. For example, you can get the Tombow pens from https://www.foremostindia.com/

You should also check Aliexpress. I came across a rollerball pen which can be refilled like a Fountain pen which is neat.

Finally, your quote

>Yes I am aware but the problem is I think they they import their nibs and just make the body of the pens. Somehow I don't feel like buying this Frankenstein and would love to buy the complete product if they make it.

This is quite the wrong way of looking at it. These guys are very good and are optimizing their product based on their available skills. Making a nib requires metallurgy, high-precision CNC etc. which as small specialized Artisans they cannot afford to setup. So they focus on what they are good at (this is exactly similar to specialized Artisans in Germany and Japan; you find entire video series on Youtube; eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5dekz26Kdw). For example, i have a Tombow pencil sharpener where the plastic body is made in Vietnam but the blade itself is made in Germany!. If you are a Fountain Pen guy you should definitely get one or more of this.

Finally, i should note that a lot of branded Pens are manufactured in India; eg. Parker Pens are manufactured by Luxor India and exported.

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#109

Post by mindentropy »

rramadass wrote: post #108
mindentropy wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Next up are the "Parker Jotter Originals" for EDC ( https://blog.penvibe.com/parker-ballpoint-pens-ultimate-guid ...). They are very affordable and hence i keep them everywhere. I for some reason don't like the Parker Jotters as they are too thin for my fat fingers. Also the blue color of the ballpoint is too much on the purple side and gives me a headache. I too have one but I don't use it much but I still love it…

Make sure that you are not confusing "Parker Jotter" with "Parker Classic"; they look similar (the stainless steel ones) but the latter is thinner which many find uncomfortable. And i replace the blue refill with a black one as soon as i get one. You can find Japanese offerings on Amazon India and if needed, get it directly from Amazon Japan (i do both). You can also contact the resellers (who import from Japan and s…

>Make sure that you are not confusing "Parker Jotter" with "Parker Classic"

I don't think so. It is a "Parker Jotter Standard CT Ball Pen".

>You can find Japanese offerings on Amazon India and if needed, get it directly from Amazon Japan (i do both). You can also contact the resellers (who import from Japan and sell on Amazon India) directly for a better deal

Won't this be too costly due to import taxes?

>These guys are very good and are optimizing their product based on their available skills. Making a nib requires metallurgy, high-precision CNC etc. which as small specialized Artisans they cannot afford to setup.

I think Ratnam makes the complete product. I must say that I am not much into Artisanal pens though. Similarly I am not much into funky anime type colored pens from Japan. :-)

>Finally, i should note that a lot of branded Pens are manufactured in India; eg. Parker Pens are manufactured by Luxor India and exported.

I don't like Luxor very much. I think there are quality control issues with the Parker pens as there is a lot of rattling in their jotter pens. I researched and found that it is not universal and was pretty pissed off as the Jotters are not cheap. Another reseller is Linc who are resellers for Uniball and they don't care about what they are selling. Similarly Pentel has a measly collection even though they have a manufacturing plant in Gujarat.

In my school days I used to use a Hero Fountain pen (Currently Shanghai Hero group) which was pretty good and my daily driver. My mother still had her beautiful Pilot pen from the 70s which I started to use later. I also sometimes used to use my classmates Butterfly pens too. I bought a Hero fountain pen in 2008 and it was horrible. Not sure what happened to it.

Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper

#110

Post by pure_simplicity »

sundarurfriend wrote: post #101
pure_simplicity wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should check out Julia's built in notebooks. It's basically a script / source file with comments that get rendered as markdown, which means you can add images and it is all rendered nicely in editors that support it. It's better than jupyter notebooks, because they're not big blobs of Json that can only be edited efficiently in the rendered environment, but not as plain text.

I think you're referring to Pluto.jl [1] notebooks? It's an external package, not built in with Julia, but yes it's very nice to just be able to open a notebook in any editor and plays much nicer with version control too. (Or maybe you mean Weave.jl [2] files, though I believe they're the other way around, Markdown with source code sections in it.) [1] https://github.com/fonsp/Pluto.jl [2] http://weavejl.mpastell.com…

Yes, I meant Pluto.jl :) thank you.
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