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NoFlo Kickstarter, the hacker's perspective

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Re: NoFlo Kickstarter, the hacker's perspective

#3
Interesting.

Gridspy ( http://gridspy.com ) is built on a lot of discrete components. We've got a variety of servers all talking via several APIs and pretty complex data flows in twisted and also in javascript in the browser.

I'd love a tool that simplified this - even if it just helped ease the pain of API integration or the flow of data.

I need to be led to more concrete information around what happens on deploy. Do you compile applications from the flow diagram?

I want to see a nice migration to and from the noflo platform. The last thing I want to see is lockin either way.

For me I need Python and Javascript support. We're built in Python.

Very nice video, very artistic. You certainly had fun pulling focus and playing with exposure.

Re: NoFlo Kickstarter, the hacker's perspective

#4
Code at Compile time is a different entity than the Code at Runtime. Programmers learns to visualize expanding and collapsing data structures and the web of pointers and call-backs. One simple tiny recursive function can become a massively complex tree at runtime. These two complexities are similar yet very different. Any system that doesn't respect the runtime will fail to understand the mindset of a programmer. I hope they succeed in dealing with both.

Re: NoFlo Kickstarter, the hacker's perspective

#5
post #3

Interesting. Gridspy ( http://gridspy.com ) is built on a lot of discrete components. We've got a variety of servers all talking via several APIs and pretty complex data flows in twisted and also in javascript in the browser. I'd love a tool that simplified this - even if it just helped ease the pain of API integration or the flow of data. I need to be led to more concrete information around what happens on deploy. D…

The network is assembled at run time by instantiating the various components and connecting their ports. There is no compilation step.

As for Python, we'd love to support the language! It is one of our stretch goals. In case we don't hit it, the Python community can of course do it themselves :-)

Re: NoFlo Kickstarter, the hacker's perspective

#6
noflo looks like a novel yet familiar way of designing software, which really glues well with TDD.

I don't sense a very strong emphasis on runtime profiling from the video or the description, but if this were a core feature then it would certainly add value to the product.

Re: NoFlo Kickstarter, the hacker's perspective

#7
We at Interface Vision ( http://www.interfacevision.com ) are working on a Visual Programming Interface as well and we wanted to say congratulations on a successful first day on Kickstarter. It is great to see someone else share the space. Great job guys and again congratulations!! If you ever want to chat please don't hesitate to reach out - great job guys and good luck to us all!!

Re: NoFlo Kickstarter, the hacker's perspective

#8
Watching the Kickstarter video, it felt very forced. I get that you are trying to revolutionize programming, but try not to keep telling me that and instead show me. I feel that if you had a screen cast of working on a simple demo application (longer than 10-15 seconds), it would've conveyed the message of how powerful NoFlo really is, much better.

I'm not trying to take away from all the work you've done (it looks like a lot and keep at it). It's just a suggestion on how to really show me the ground breaking-ness of NoFlo.

Re: NoFlo Kickstarter, the hacker's perspective

#9

Code at Compile time is a different entity than the Code at Runtime. Programmers learns to visualize expanding and collapsing data structures and the web of pointers and call-backs. One simple tiny recursive function can become a massively complex tree at runtime. These two complexities are similar yet very different. Any system that doesn't respect the runtime will fail to understand the mindset of a programmer. I h…

The mindset of the programmer is the fusion of the programmer and her tools.

Re: NoFlo Kickstarter, the hacker's perspective

#10
As much as I want to love this thing, I can't help but feel like they are trying to solve an unsolvable problem.

We don't consider Michaelangelo a genius because he thought up the David statue. We consider him a genius because he went through the process to make the statue exist.

Great software exists not because someone thought it up. Great software exists because someone went through the process of making that software a reality. There is no shortcut, in the same way that there is no shortcut between thinking up a really nicely painted portrait, and making that portrait a reality. The only way to make a painting a reality is to learn how to paint. The only way to make a program a reality is to learn how to code. Any tool that claims to make coding easier is nullified by the fact that you have to still have to learn that tool too!

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