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Coding is Dead. Long Live the Coders

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Re: Coding is Dead. Long Live the Coders

#11

Post by nvarsj »

mindstab wrote: post #2

Seems a little naive. I don't think our OSs, device drivers, X engines for X in [webbrowser, GUI, 3d engine, etc] will be just... done by front enders... Chicken and egg: will "real coders" will make the last tool and die out to be replaced by front enders forever more? Who will maintain the tools and make them better. This is silly Better tools don't replace coders with front enders, they simply allow a greater perc…

I have experienced the joy of front end development and seen the damage it causes. Massive duplication, ripe with bugs, stuff gets thrown away constantly and reinvented a week later, no ability for reuse. It's a great way to throw away money. "A little naive" is an understatement.

Re: Coding is Dead. Long Live the Coders

#12

Post by meric »

drcube wrote: post #9

On the one hand, assembly developers are just assembler end users. If you don't directly manipulate the silicon, you're only a plumber. On the other hand, ifttt and excel are both programs for crunching information, same as a compiler. They're not as powerful or expressive, but that's no more of a constraint than a limited kitchen is to an enterprising chef. Just because you don't use the same tools they had in the p…

Plumbers can't build taps that allow users to create new plumbing. Developers are different in this regard.

Otherwise, I agree.

Re: Coding is Dead. Long Live the Coders

#13

Post by einhverfr »

mindstab wrote: post #2

Seems a little naive. I don't think our OSs, device drivers, X engines for X in [webbrowser, GUI, 3d engine, etc] will be just... done by front enders... Chicken and egg: will "real coders" will make the last tool and die out to be replaced by front enders forever more? Who will maintain the tools and make them better. This is silly Better tools don't replace coders with front enders, they simply allow a greater perc…

But don't you get it? Eventually we will have operating systems which write themselves and self-hosted front-end code generators!

Re: Coding is Dead. Long Live the Coders

#14

Post by humbledrone »

drcube wrote: post #9

On the one hand, assembly developers are just assembler end users. If you don't directly manipulate the silicon, you're only a plumber. On the other hand, ifttt and excel are both programs for crunching information, same as a compiler. They're not as powerful or expressive, but that's no more of a constraint than a limited kitchen is to an enterprising chef. Just because you don't use the same tools they had in the p…

I agree with you for the most part, but if you give a chef a kitchen with no knives, that's going to put some severe limits on what he can cook. Of course it's possible to create some excellent dishes without a knife, but there are some dishes that are just plain uncookable.

And it does matter very much what tools you use -- one of the defining features of a masterful craftsman is that he knows exactly which tools to use for a particular job. Sure you can flip those fried eggs with a spoon, but it will be easier to use a spatula, and they'll come out better to boot.

Re: Coding is Dead. Long Live the Coders

#15

Post by angersock »

einhverfr wrote: post #13
mindstab wrote: post #2

Seems a little naive. I don't think our OSs, device drivers, X engines for X in [webbrowser, GUI, 3d engine, etc] will be just... done by front enders... Chicken and egg: will "real coders" will make the last tool and die out to be replaced by front enders forever more? Who will maintain the tools and make them better. This is silly Better tools don't replace coders with front enders, they simply allow a greater perc…

But don't you get it? Eventually we will have operating systems which write themselves and self-hosted front-end code generators!

It's a great goal to hope for one day, nonetheless. :(

Re: Coding is Dead. Long Live the Coders

#16

Post by bilbobaggie »

danielvinson wrote: post #7

That is the most obnoxious site I have ever been to. I closed the window after having to close two Popups to continue reading.

This is actually not true. There's one pop-up at the top of the page, and you can still read without closing it or clicking on it.

Re: Coding is Dead. Long Live the Coders

#17

Post by sharingancoder »

mindstab wrote: post #2

Seems a little naive. I don't think our OSs, device drivers, X engines for X in [webbrowser, GUI, 3d engine, etc] will be just... done by front enders... Chicken and egg: will "real coders" will make the last tool and die out to be replaced by front enders forever more? Who will maintain the tools and make them better. This is silly Better tools don't replace coders with front enders, they simply allow a greater perc…

True. Coding and coders are ever-lasting.

Re: Coding is Dead. Long Live the Coders

#18

Post by karamazov »

hkmurakami wrote: post #10

This is one of the most nonsensical articles I've ever come across on the HN front page. Synopsis: 1. Coding is dead (title) 2. Front-end development is being democratized by higher level paradigms, thereby obsoleting "coders" (defined loosely as those who code at the lower levels of abstraction) 3. BUT WAIT! Because programming has been made available to those who don't have the most fundamental level of understandi…

We're not affiliated with the VC. I thought the article is an interesting viewpoint from someone who isn't technical. It shows that there are tools enabling him to do what he would have previously needed a programmer to help him with.

We want to make DataNitro compelling not just for Python experts, but also for Excel power users that have some basic programming knowledge (from using formulas, if statements, vlookups, etc.). The article shows that we're succeeding on this at least a little.

Re: Coding is Dead. Long Live the Coders

#20

Post by organic_code »

karamazov wrote: post #18
hkmurakami wrote: post #10

This is one of the most nonsensical articles I've ever come across on the HN front page. Synopsis: 1. Coding is dead (title) 2. Front-end development is being democratized by higher level paradigms, thereby obsoleting "coders" (defined loosely as those who code at the lower levels of abstraction) 3. BUT WAIT! Because programming has been made available to those who don't have the most fundamental level of understandi…

We're not affiliated with the VC. I thought the article is an interesting viewpoint from someone who isn't technical. It shows that there are tools enabling him to do what he would have previously needed a programmer to help him with. We want to make DataNitro compelling not just for Python experts, but also for Excel power users that have some basic programming knowledge (from using formulas, if statements, vlookups…

>It shows that there are tools enabling him to do what he would have previously needed a programmer to help him with.

That does not make sense. It only enabled him to not have to learn a new language. It still required a programmer.

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