Programming is a form of writing with equivalent difficulty. The challenge therein is relative and yet orthogonal to the reading of code. This is best described

Programming is a form of writing with equivalent difficulty. The challenge therein is relative and yet orthogonal to the reading of code. This is best described by perhaps the most prolific writer in human history: Isaac Asimov. The most striking thing that Asimov said about writing is about correctness. A good writer produces correctness the first time. They aren’t reliant upon tools, gimmicks, or editors to catch syntax or grammar violations because these trivialities aren’t the important concerns. Drafts are for revising ideas and distilling ideas down to a clearer thought. For good writers drafts don’t waste time or focus with correctness. In addition to writing with correctness the first time entirely from the author without a bunch of bullshit helpers good writers know what they want to write. They simply write it. They may not have a clarity of vision on how best to order or describe a given subject for their given audience but then that’s what drafts are for. Just write it. In programming revising drafts if called refactoring. Perhaps the greatest difficulty in any writing is simplicity which is far more challenging than mere mortals consider. The quality of a written work is directly attributable to it’s simplicity. Simplicity only ever means fewer. Fewer is directly applicable to both form and substance. Does the author rely upon an excess of syntax decoration or do the directly solve the problem? Likewise did the author take the extra effort to fold similar ideas into a single abstraction thereby reducing the number of pieces and methods of approach while simultaneously increasing the potential number of solutions? https://github.com/prettydiff/wisdom/blob/master/Simplicity.md https://github.com/prettydiff/wisdom/blob/master/Simplicity....