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"I think I understand better now why literate programming hasn’t gained much of an audience. I used to think that it was because developers hate writing prose.
by obj-g 10y ago
"I think I understand better now why literate programming hasn’t gained much of an audience. I used to think that it was because developers hate writing prose. That’s part of it."
Right, and that's why it's so difficult to find developer-written blogs and articles and tutorials online....
- Jtsummers 10y agoParaphrasing Knuth, the intersection of good writers and good programmers is small. That doesn't stop people like me from making attempts at writing blogs and articles, but it doesn't make them good. It also doesn't mean that people won't write one-off articles and blogs, but may not be interested in doing that essentially daily (what the literate style kind of requires).
- obj-g 10y agoYour point is taken, I just take issue with the article perpetuating such a stereotype. I'm a developer, I have a degree in literature and write a ton. And the article says nothing about developers not writing good prose, just not liking to write prose period. The intersection between anything and good writers is pretty slim, to be honest. The author just supposes that developers don't like writing prose. Which is silly. At least in my opinion.