3 ms·

I think the idea of showing runtime data in various forms to help programmers understand what their programs do is a great idea with a lot of promise — it's my

by Glench 8y ago

I think the idea of showing runtime data in various forms to help programmers understand what their programs do is a great idea with a lot of promise — it's my main research area. And this demo shows a plausible way to get some of that in Python, which is great. But I still wonder if anyone writing actual algorithms would find this useful, and if so what exactly they'd find useful. I'd really like to see the field of UIs for programming get clearer on what data is useful to show to which programmers in what form and when.

ChrisKnott 8y ago
You are totally right. My #1 annoyance is research and demos in this space, that don't consider your question. That is why I think it is important that this project aims to tackle problems outside my control, that are genuinely hard to understand (Google Code Jam problems). My plan was basically to work my way through past problems, for each one thinking specifically about that problem - ok, what's hard here, what would help me solve this, where did I go wrong with this, then adding those features to Algojammer. Then when Code Jam comes around again, I can really test it in a very falsifiable way. I need a break and more time so I'm not going to be working on this for a while but I'm 100% on your side. Do you have any links to your research?
- Glench 8y ago
  Your plan to work through past Google Code Jam problems sounds great. I'm sure that process would help build your intuition for what tools are actually helpful when working on this specific type of problem, which would probably have implications for lots of programs. Personally, I think this type of first-person empiricism is a highly undervalued resource. Also, I wish there were more research labs that could support folks in UIs for programming like this. Right now there are only a couple and a lot of independent people dabbling. As for my work, you can see it at http://glench.com http://glench.com

by Glench 8y ago

ChrisKnott 8y ago

You are totally right. My #1 annoyance is research and demos in this space, that don't consider your question. That is why I think it is important that this project aims to tackle problems outside my control, that are genuinely hard to understand (Google Code Jam problems). My plan was basically to work my way through past problems, for each one thinking specifically about that problem - ok, what's hard here, what would help me solve this, where did I go wrong with this, then adding those features to Algojammer. Then when Code Jam comes around again, I can really test it in a very falsifiable way. I need a break and more time so I'm not going to be working on this for a while but I'm 100% on your side. Do you have any links to your research?

Glench 8y ago
Your plan to work through past Google Code Jam problems sounds great. I'm sure that process would help build your intuition for what tools are actually helpful when working on this specific type of problem, which would probably have implications for lots of programs. Personally, I think this type of first-person empiricism is a highly undervalued resource. Also, I wish there were more research labs that could support folks in UIs for programming like this. Right now there are only a couple and a lot of independent people dabbling. As for my work, you can see it at http://glench.com http://glench.com