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Yes but you forget incentives. If a tool makes something easier. People get lazier. E.g. People today have terrible handwriting because of computer keyboards.

Yes but you forget incentives. If a tool makes something easier. People get lazier. E.g. People today have terrible handwriting because of computer keyboards. Many people today can't do long division on paper because of calculators. People today struggle to find their way around new places when they don't have Google Maps. But in this case, the skill which is being atrophied is an actual useful skill... Though it's not obvious at a glance. A tool which makes it easier to do the wrong thing will lead more people to do the wrong thing. The friction which dynamic languages create is a positive and promotes good code and professional development.

branko_d 5y ago
Are you arguing that we should know which roots contain water and which parts of a horse are best for making bow strings? Circumstances change, skills evolve with the circumstances. Yes, there is a danger of sudden reversal of circumstances, but we still have our ability to relearn and rediscover the "old" skills if need be. If friction was "positive and promoted good code", the best code would be on punch cards.
- cryptica 5y ago
  I understand that we are not used to factor in psychology when it comes to software development and that this argument may seem contrived but I'm speaking from my own professional experience when I say that I've observed both in myself and others that learning to use dynamically typed languages correctly has had a significant positive impact on the general code style. I've gone back and forth between the two paradigms multiple times. It forces developers to pay more attention to software design and structure or else it becomes overwhelming. The fact that code becomes overwhelming more quickly with dynamically typed languages is a positive thing. It's an effective deterrent against complexity and incorrect abstractions.

branko_d 5y ago

Are you arguing that we should know which roots contain water and which parts of a horse are best for making bow strings? Circumstances change, skills evolve with the circumstances. Yes, there is a danger of sudden reversal of circumstances, but we still have our ability to relearn and rediscover the "old" skills if need be. If friction was "positive and promoted good code", the best code would be on punch cards.

cryptica 5y ago
I understand that we are not used to factor in psychology when it comes to software development and that this argument may seem contrived but I'm speaking from my own professional experience when I say that I've observed both in myself and others that learning to use dynamically typed languages correctly has had a significant positive impact on the general code style. I've gone back and forth between the two paradigms multiple times. It forces developers to pay more attention to software design and structure or else it becomes overwhelming. The fact that code becomes overwhelming more quickly with dynamically typed languages is a positive thing. It's an effective deterrent against complexity and incorrect abstractions.