Niklaus Wirth, 1934-2024: Geek For Life

I fell down a Wikipedia hole on the earlier discussion about keyboard layouts and learned that the modifier set by modifier keys (command, option, control, hyper…) is called the "bucky bit," where "Bucky" was Niklaus's college nickname. I wanted to share this info with HN, but since TIL post titles aren't welcome here, I wasn't sure the right way to point out _why_ it was interesting.

So excuse me for piggy-backing on your post:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucky_bit

> I wanted to share this info with HN, but since TIL post titles aren't welcome here, I wasn't sure the right way to point out _why_ it was interesting.

It's not that "Today I Learned" specifically is unwelcome, but rather that editorializing titles is frowned upon. I think this applies most when there's a perfectly suitable title to use or the title itself is subjective instead of objective- I don't get the sense that a "Today I Learned" title with a Wikipedia link is particularly shunned[1]. As dang will tell you if you run afoul of editorializing, "If you want to say what you think is important about an article, that's fine, but do it by adding a comment to the thread. Then your view will be on a level playing field with everyone else's."

It would seem entirely normal to see "Bucky Bit" as a title for the link, and if you were to post it, a first comment is a perfect spot to mention this relationship. In fact, there's an opportunity right now! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38888008

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26739124

“I suppose that’s all very well if you don’t know how to design software.”

ouch. it's good to be reminded there are ways to do things beyond the ways we know, i suppose

(this was wirth's thought on incremental xp-style design, i guess)

I totally see him saying that. :-D

First, most software methodologies are for teams. Wirth himself was more concerned with the individual programmer.

Second, most software methodologies are for getting at least a constant performance out of teams. Improving the performance is a concern, too, but most and for all a constant performance will enable managers to be able to plan. That's also nothing Wirth would thought about.

Wirth would have wanted to get the most out of the individual programmer. Be the best programmer you can be to discover the best design that is inherent to a problem.

I can also see how that might be at odds with the idea of incremental design.

> “I suppose that’s all very well if you don’t know how to design software.”

Could anyone who may have more information elaborate on what Wirth meant by saying this ? Thank you.