One thing that nobody seems to notice is that big thing in front of you with the tons of buttons: the keyboard. The main input device we use to enter stuff in o

One thing that nobody seems to notice is that big thing in front of you with the tons of buttons: the keyboard. The main input device we use to enter stuff in our computers are based on typewriters, so everything more advanced than clicking widgets with the mouse revolves around typing stuff. Most visual languages feel like you are fighting with their code editors because the editors are not following the typewriter model that the main input device of our computers use. Perhaps this will change in the future with other input devices, touch devices like tables could provide for a different environment - currently programming with a tablet feels slugggish but this is because everything about programming revolves around typing. Touch is different. But it needs to be designed from the ground up for the interface you work with. Whatever that is, i don't think text is the only way to go. I believe our keyboards have shaped the way we think about programming - and interacting with computers in general - and if we are to explore other ways to program, we need to also explore other ways to communicate with the computer.