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But there's a programming environment out there that a lot of "non-programmers" use all the time and use to make some very complex applications. It's called Ex

• quanticle 10y ago
  You want to be very careful where you're going with that. I've had to convert ad-hoc financial models written in Excel VBA into C#. The existing code was so bad, it was largely useless for actually learning what the system was supposed to do. I had to go back to the original analysts and ask them what they wanted their model to do. It was not a fun experience, and it's largely the reason I think that there should be a level of specialization with regards to programming. I felt like an electrician coming in to help with a homeowner's ad-hoc project, and finding that the entire house has been wired by the same (underqualified) homeowner, and now the building is a major fire hazard. Yes, people use Excel to make complex applications. But it's the same as people jerry-rigging their own wiring, or attempting to use heavy machinery without the proper qualifications. It can work, but a lot of the time, it leads to collapse, disaster, and thousands of dollars in damage.
• jghn 10y ago
  I saw the Eve folks talk at StrangeLoop last year and they made this point, citing it as inspiration for some of the design choices they've made