How I Write Code: Pen and Paper
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How I Write Code: Pen and Paper
1–10 of 110 posts
Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper
#2you get to the obstacles faster, which is what really takes the most thinking time to solve
Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper
#3Nothing wrong with this, but the analogy at the end about bikes is so hopelessly tortured it's comical.
Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper
#4you get to the obstacles faster, which is what really takes the most thinking time to solve
I just write all the comments first, which forces me to think about the obstacles up front before any code is written.
Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper
#5Nothing wrong with this, but the analogy at the end about bikes is so hopelessly tortured it's comical.
It's actually a very quick, useful reminder for me that 'hey, there's this other creative medium for designing things', but wow, you weren't kidding about the analogy.
There's something there, I think, but it would have been much better without the bit about bikeshedding, or reordered.
Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper
#6I did this heavily when I was learning WML/WAP while on vacation a long time ago. I do it from time to time when I have a complex algo to write
Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper
#7I do this for things that require a lot of thought, but I tend to do it with pseudo code and little scribbles on the side (tables of variable state for loop count 1..x, etc) and not worry too much about syntax, scope, and so on. Usually that gets to a point where I can put the paper down and try it with real code.
Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper
#8It's something that I'm still trying to force myself to do. I do know that I'm more productive away from the computer. But it's so tempting to just tweak, compile, test, iterate... I generally use pen and paper when I'm stuck and require deeper thinking.
Also, a lot of the work of a programmer consists in understanding existing code. You need the computer for that.
Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper
#9I've never really had success doing concept work of any kind with pen and paper. Especially writing, but even diagramming. If I need to step back and work with ideas abstractly, the paper medium is still going to get in the way at least as much as the digital text does. What I really have to do is keep it all conceptual in my mind; that's the only medium that's truly unopinionated and flexible.
Paper/whiteboarding is more for communication to others, in my experience
Re: How I Write Code: Pen and Paper
#10It's funny, this take is way spicier than "I don't use an IDE", but the comments here are so supportive and nice.