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Please don't learn to code

codinghorror.com

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Re: Please don't learn to code

#81

Post by emilis_info »

tezza wrote: post #6

I applaud 'Learning to code' if it defined as: * taking problems and reducing them to a sequence of repeatable instructions and decision points (branches) . I think 'LtC' is irrelevant if defined as: * I wanna make iPhone apps / Facebook plugins / Instagram ... Where do I get the Magic Handshake for the Mega $$$ ?

Not really. I learned to code Pascal 16 years ago, because I wanted to make DOS computer games.

And here I am now: 10+ years of professional web-dev experience, spoke at local dev conferences, won awards for my work, etc..

What I learned during all these years is that methodologies and models help you after you learn how to build apps/plugins/games/whatever. And still they won't save you from wasted hours hunting an accidental typo.

Re: Please don't learn to code

#82

Post by EzGraphs »

There is a lot to be said for avoiding the temptation to write "one more line of code." I used to work with a guy who would pride himself with reducing (whenever possible) the amount of code with every modification and fix he made. He really had it down to an art, and it greatly clarified the core functionality of the software.

Re: Please don't learn to code

#83

Post by artsrc »

MortenK wrote: post #60
MortenK wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But should it be mandatory for everybody to learn cooking on the same level as reading and writing? Is it such a basic requirement, that we're decreasing our children's chance of success, if we don't teach them cooking (edit: Again, on the same level as reading and writing)? Apart from at least a fundamental ability to use a stove, it is naturally not that crucial of an ability. The argument of the blog post is that…

I think I might have worded the second paragraph wrong, as it seems a few people have taken it literally and misunderstood my point as being that cooking is a useless skill. Cooking is of course a good skill to have. So is plumbing, car repair and a lot of other things. But this is entirely besides the point. The point was this: Is it a necessity for children to be taught [cooking/car repair/plumbing] on the same lev…

Is anything taught in the final 4 years of school really universally necessary?

Re: Please don't learn to code

#84

Post by sol1_sc »

I think the real sentiment needed is not "learn to code", but more "learn what coding is, how it might benefit you and also just what it entails".

I also can't help but think baby-steps are required. There are so many people who don't even think about how software is created - learning to code is about three layers away from where they are at to begin with. Simply learning the basics of how software comes to be and a basic underlying structure of a computer would be a good starting point.

Anyone can learn how to write a few lines of a computer programming language. Understanding more of the basic principles of software development and computer architecture would be much more beneficial. That is my personal opinion.

Re: Please don't learn to code

#85

Post by jkahn »

primecommenter wrote: post #74
marcusf wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As opposed to vocational coding/programming/hacking. Seems like you're being facetious for the point of it?

I'm not trying to be facetious, just misunderstanding whatever point original commenter is making. "Most people don't what programming even looks like"? I don't think that is true because most people can search for code samples if needed.

You're missing the point there: if someone's looking for code samples, they're already learning to code.

Re: Please don't learn to code

#86

Post by adeelk »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #65

I'll leave the part of "coding is important because computers are everywhere and learning how to automatize everyday things is a great skill" to others, as there are lots of excellent comments about it in this thread. Let's talk about something different: > But understanding variables and functions, pointers and recursion? I can't see it. Hey, I'd argue that understanding exactly those things are what should be inclu…

Bottomline, programming teaches us a lot of important skills and mental constructs useful for problem-solving and understanding how the world works. And those skills are hard to get elsewhere.

I definitely support the notion that everyone should learn problem solving skills, but people can take different paths than programming: mathematics, natural sciences, and even chess, for example.

As Richard Rusczyk, founder of Art of Problem Solving, says, “We use math to teach problem solving because it is the most fundamental logical discipline. Not only is it the foundation upon which sciences are built, it is the clearest way to learn and understand how to develop a rigorous logical argument. [...] This is not to say that those who cannot do math cannot solve problems. There are many paths to strong problem solving skills. Mathematics is the shortest.” [1]

And there have been many studies on the relationship between chess and problem solving, including this one by Ferreira and Palhares [2].

[1] http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Resources/Papers/ProblemS... [2] http://www.math.umt.edu/tmme/vol5no2and3/TMME_vol5nos2and3_a...

Re: Please don't learn to code

#87

Post by Derbasti »

YmMot wrote: post #68

This largely misses the point. I agree that it's not "essential" and not everyone should do it, but it's still more valuable than I think Attwood gives credit for. I'm perhaps in a unique position to comment, having recently taught my girlfriend to program. So I can talk about how that played out. My girlfriend understands menus, she knows about links, she can install software, she can use word, she can type away lik…

Well spoken, but not all people are like your girlfriend. To most people, learning a bit about programming would primarily be an exercise in frustration.

Re: Please don't learn to code

#88

Post by jkahn »

derekerdmann wrote: post #29
shin_lao wrote: post #14

I don't like this post and what it implies. If tomorrow you want to learn to cook, how would you feel if a master chef told you "No, don't. You'll never be as good as me. If you're hungry, come to my restaurant instead". I think there's nothing wrong with learning a new skill, whoever you are, whatever you do. Learning new skills is what makes us human.

Cooking may not be the best analogy. What if everyone started learning to build bridges instead? Sure, the general population might benefit from knowing how bridges work and what loads they can take, but when a bunch of inexperienced, improperly educated bridge-builders start trying to create new ones because it pays well, we end up with dangerous bridges. Jeff's article is trying to point out that while understandin…

I don't think anyone is saying that everyone should write professional software. Just that it would be beneficial if they learned the equivalent of making a ramp for a wheelbarrow in the back yard.

Re: Please don't learn to code

#89

Post by YmMot »

jiggy2011 wrote: post #80
YmMot wrote: post #68

This largely misses the point. I agree that it's not "essential" and not everyone should do it, but it's still more valuable than I think Attwood gives credit for. I'm perhaps in a unique position to comment, having recently taught my girlfriend to program. So I can talk about how that played out. My girlfriend understands menus, she knows about links, she can install software, she can use word, she can type away lik…

Interesting, I've always though that at a conceptual level computers are not especially complicated machines (for example a turing machine) and most reasonably intelligent people shouldn't have any problem understanding them. It's also interesting that you mention the holistic approach because this is exactly how many people view computers, in the same way they might view a mechanical device. I have seen people reaso…

Indeed, the basics are all relatively simple...in fact a lot of the basics are things people do intuitively...it's just they've never really been told or thought about how it would work as a generalized computing machine.

Re: Please don't learn to code

#90

Post by roqetman »

My main concern is that people learn a bit of the easy stuff, then extrapolate that coding is easy therefore inexperienced and cheap programmers are all that's needed to complete a project. Quality of code will drop, as will salaries (even for the experienced).
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