a) For what it's worth, I did not immediately think of that meaning of the term, despite being familiar with it. I suspect that despite your claims most people

a) For what it's worth, I did not immediately think of that meaning of the term, despite being familiar with it. I suspect that despite your claims most people would not. Using quotes just means that the author is not claiming that programming is done by literal farmers. b) Even if that's what the author meant, it is still a derogatory term when you consider its origin. Why do you think gaming culture picked "farmer" as the word used to describe someone who performs mindless repetitive tasks?