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I disagree so hard. Computer programs should be written primarily for humans to read, and only incidentally to be executed by computers. The connection betwee
by mcantor 15y ago
I disagree so hard. Computer programs should be written primarily for humans to read, and only incidentally to be executed by computers. The connection between writing and programming is vital: they are both the practice of expressing structured ideas. It has nothing to do with the computer. It has nothing to do with the English language, or Vim, or Word. It's about starting with an idea and hacking away at it, removing ambiguities and possibilities, until only something unique remains.
- jamesbritt 15y agoI disagree so hard. Computer programs should be written primarily for humans to read, and only incidentally to be executed by computers. The funny this is that the same is also true for mathematics. Mathematicians writing proofs and theorems are communicating with other people, not (usually) with machines. Mathematical notation is s means of human-to-human communication. Yet anything but the most trivial math soon becomes inscrutable to the untrained. As far as I can tell, mathematicians are mostly happy with this. The language used allows for precise, compact expression of complex (i.e structured) ideas. That understanding requires training and rigor is not considered inherently bad. For whatever reasons the same terseness and concision is derided by many programmers who seem to believe that ease of understanding by the moderately skilled is highly important.