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Cuts both ways, of course. The expressiveness programmers enjoy by manipulating a directory-structure full of files using a syntax-highlighting text editor with
by jameshart 10y ago
Cuts both ways, of course. The expressiveness programmers enjoy by manipulating a directory-structure full of files using a syntax-highlighting text editor with autocompletions and a version control system to create a description of a complex set of interrelated entities, which they then process with toolchains to produce the real artifacts of their trade, is a powerful capability which for some reason we rarely try to offer to non programmers. With the right DSLs, almost anything could be 'programming'.
- jrapdx3 10y agoI completely agree with the idea of simple, flexible tools for interacting with programs and providing good tools for users. A while back I was putting together a DB query tool for volunteer staff to use. I deliberately made it simple and as unambiguous as I could within the limits of "simple". For example, allowing a free form search of principle database fields, I set up a very basic regular expression syntax, just substring match, and optionally '*', '+', '|', and '.'. This part of the interface is 3 text entry fields, with a nicely worded help message right next to the entries. In person, I showed the primary users how the interface worked and demoed the simplified regex. Months later there are sometimes still questions like "how do I find somebody named 'John Q. Smith'?" ("Just enter 'smi' and pick the name off the list of names sent back.") I don't mind going over it again, especially for someone new, but I think it shows it may be harder than we anticipate to introduce "programming-like" methods to typical users.