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The idea behind the ultimate user interface is for programming labguages to dissolve over time leaving us with a natural conversation between man and machine (a

The idea behind the ultimate user interface is for programming labguages to dissolve over time leaving us with a natural conversation between man and machine (and at some point the distinctions betweem man and machine will dissolve) While I understand what he and others have said, which is what I had believed in the past, I think that the emphasis to think like a machine is heavily misguided as we as users need to steer programming languages toward their natural end (pun intended) which is where AI is headed. But we're miles away from that so the argument he puts forward is temporarily valid.

Sacho 11y ago
I'm not sure this is a great idea. "Natural" communication is incredibly inefficient and lossy. Note that academics communicate via meticulously written papers, often involving very formal language. Business processes are structured in worksheets, graphs, etc. What we seem to yearn for is the ability for a computer to transcend our inability to express ourselves. I am not so sure that is where we are(or should be!) headed. There is a certain internal clarity when you manage to formalize your thoughts and arguments, to test them for logical inconsistency and errors. Programming languages are an inherent helper in that regard. I think the biggest hurdle for programming languages currently is flow control. Specifically, programming languages are mostly still written top-down, leaving the implicit assumption that code is executed in the order you read it in. This is obviously a false impression for pretty much any program written nowadays. Inventing a new way to present code so that program flow is easier to visualize, is in my opinion the "next big thing" in programming language UI. This is something tools and concepts like UML have tried and failed to revolutionize, so I'm not sure what the way forward really is.
- ilostmykeys 11y ago
  Well, those are some deep thoughts. I appreciate the response:)
deleted 11y ago
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Sacho 11y ago

I'm not sure this is a great idea. "Natural" communication is incredibly inefficient and lossy. Note that academics communicate via meticulously written papers, often involving very formal language. Business processes are structured in worksheets, graphs, etc. What we seem to yearn for is the ability for a computer to transcend our inability to express ourselves. I am not so sure that is where we are(or should be!) headed. There is a certain internal clarity when you manage to formalize your thoughts and arguments, to test them for logical inconsistency and errors. Programming languages are an inherent helper in that regard. I think the biggest hurdle for programming languages currently is flow control. Specifically, programming languages are mostly still written top-down, leaving the implicit assumption that code is executed in the order you read it in. This is obviously a false impression for pretty much any program written nowadays. Inventing a new way to present code so that program flow is easier to visualize, is in my opinion the "next big thing" in programming language UI. This is something tools and concepts like UML have tried and failed to revolutionize, so I'm not sure what the way forward really is.

ilostmykeys 11y ago
Well, those are some deep thoughts. I appreciate the response:)

deleted 11y ago

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