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Visual programming languages are commonly used for the creation of chatbots in frameworks such as IBM Watson Assistant. They end up being an absolute complete m

Visual programming languages are commonly used for the creation of chatbots in frameworks such as IBM Watson Assistant. They end up being an absolute complete mess. The reliance on global variables and go-to statements for control flow makes them extremely bug prone and unintelligible.

keymone 7y ago
But who’s using them? From the symptoms you describe I would guess it’s people very far removed from software development.
- DonHopkins 7y ago
  The Sims uses a visual programming language called "SimAntics" for scripting behaviors and "AI" of people and objects. The Sims, Pie Menus, Edith Editing, and SimAntics Visual Programming Demo. This is a demonstration of the pie menus, architectural editing tools, and Edith visual programming tools that I developed for The Sims with Will Wright at Maxis and Electronic Arts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-exdu4ETscs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-exdu4ETscs https://medium.com/@donhopkins/the-sims-pie-menus-49ca02a74da3 https://medium.com/@donhopkins/the-sims-pie-menus-49ca02a74d... The Sims Steering Committee - June 4 1998. A demo of an early pre-release version of The Sims for The Sims Steering Committee at EA, developed June 4 1998. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC52jE60KjY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC52jE60KjY https://medium.com/@donhopkins/the-sims-pie-menus-49ca02a74da3 https://medium.com/@donhopkins/the-sims-pie-menus-49ca02a74d... Mod The Sims Wiki: SimAntics: https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=SimAntics https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=SimAntics Simantics Wiki: http://simantics.wikidot.com/ http://simantics.wikidot.com/ SimsTek Wiki: SimAntics https://simstek.fandom.com/wiki/SimAntics https://simstek.fandom.com/wiki/SimAntics From Ken Forbus's game design course: Under the hood of The Sims: http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~forbus/c95-gd/lectures/ http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~forbus/c95-gd/lectures/ Programming Objects in The Sims: http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/papers/Files/Programming_Objects_in_The_Sims.pdf http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/papers/Files/Programming_Obj...
  - scoopertrooper 7y ago
    Thanks for taking the time to write this up!
- scoopertrooper 7y ago
  A bunch of disgruntled computer science grads questioning their life choices, at the large telecommunications provider for which I was working. The Watson language just doesn't provide any other way to do anything. It's a common problem amongst visual programming languages as mentioned in the article.
ken 7y ago
What does that have to do with visual programming? Any program written with a "reliance on global variables and go-to statements" is going to be "extremely bug prone and unintelligible" -- visual or otherwise. There are certainly VPLs with scope and flow control constructs.

keymone 7y ago

But who’s using them? From the symptoms you describe I would guess it’s people very far removed from software development.

DonHopkins 7y ago
The Sims uses a visual programming language called "SimAntics" for scripting behaviors and "AI" of people and objects. The Sims, Pie Menus, Edith Editing, and SimAntics Visual Programming Demo. This is a demonstration of the pie menus, architectural editing tools, and Edith visual programming tools that I developed for The Sims with Will Wright at Maxis and Electronic Arts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-exdu4ETscs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-exdu4ETscs https://medium.com/@donhopkins/the-sims-pie-menus-49ca02a74da3 https://medium.com/@donhopkins/the-sims-pie-menus-49ca02a74d... The Sims Steering Committee - June 4 1998. A demo of an early pre-release version of The Sims for The Sims Steering Committee at EA, developed June 4 1998. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC52jE60KjY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC52jE60KjY https://medium.com/@donhopkins/the-sims-pie-menus-49ca02a74da3 https://medium.com/@donhopkins/the-sims-pie-menus-49ca02a74d... Mod The Sims Wiki: SimAntics: https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=SimAntics https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=SimAntics Simantics Wiki: http://simantics.wikidot.com/ http://simantics.wikidot.com/ SimsTek Wiki: SimAntics https://simstek.fandom.com/wiki/SimAntics https://simstek.fandom.com/wiki/SimAntics From Ken Forbus's game design course: Under the hood of The Sims: http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~forbus/c95-gd/lectures/ http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~forbus/c95-gd/lectures/ Programming Objects in The Sims: http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/papers/Files/Programming_Objects_in_The_Sims.pdf http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/papers/Files/Programming_Obj...
- scoopertrooper 7y ago
  Thanks for taking the time to write this up!
scoopertrooper 7y ago
A bunch of disgruntled computer science grads questioning their life choices, at the large telecommunications provider for which I was working. The Watson language just doesn't provide any other way to do anything. It's a common problem amongst visual programming languages as mentioned in the article.

ken 7y ago

What does that have to do with visual programming? Any program written with a "reliance on global variables and go-to statements" is going to be "extremely bug prone and unintelligible" -- visual or otherwise. There are certainly VPLs with scope and flow control constructs.