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> If you'd rather build software in English than in a programming language, then you don't really want to build software at all. Every software build I've been

by yucky 4y ago

> If you'd rather build software in English than in a programming language, then you don't really want to build software at all. Every software build I've been a part of is conceived first and fleshed out in English. The programming language then used is an intermediary annoyance to most parties involved. Ultimately, the end result is all that most people care about.

feoren 4y ago
> Every software build I've been a part of is conceived first and fleshed out in English. I'd bet a lot of money you're wrong about this. It's conceived mostly in some non-verbal thought-like pseudo-language inside someone's brain, and then it's poorly translated into English. It's fleshed out in code. That's when the real details were figured out. Maybe not while actually typing in code -- if very experienced programmers were involved, they fleshed it out using the mental models they learned from their years of programming, in their head, and then they poorly translated that to English, and then they sat down and typed it correctly again without English being involved.
- yucky 4y ago
  Yeah I think my post was lacking nuance, because of course a lot of things come out during the build. What I mean is at some point all software starts out as an idea, generally being discussed with others. Typically you will get to scope docs before building anything as well. Then again, not everyone is going to follow the same process.
nasmorn 4y ago
I worked with a lot of people. I am one of the most structured thinkers I have worked with. Still I sometimes only realize how incomplete my understanding was when I am actually Code the solution. If my thoughts would have been as structured before they would probably look a lot like the code that it resulted in. I am not paid to do what the PM tells me to. I am paid to think his thoughts to the end.

by yucky 4y ago

feoren 4y ago

> Every software build I've been a part of is conceived first and fleshed out in English. I'd bet a lot of money you're wrong about this. It's conceived mostly in some non-verbal thought-like pseudo-language inside someone's brain, and then it's poorly translated into English. It's fleshed out in code. That's when the real details were figured out. Maybe not while actually typing in code -- if very experienced programmers were involved, they fleshed it out using the mental models they learned from their years of programming, in their head, and then they poorly translated that to English, and then they sat down and typed it correctly again without English being involved.

yucky 4y ago
Yeah I think my post was lacking nuance, because of course a lot of things come out during the build. What I mean is at some point all software starts out as an idea, generally being discussed with others. Typically you will get to scope docs before building anything as well. Then again, not everyone is going to follow the same process.

nasmorn 4y ago

I worked with a lot of people. I am one of the most structured thinkers I have worked with. Still I sometimes only realize how incomplete my understanding was when I am actually Code the solution. If my thoughts would have been as structured before they would probably look a lot like the code that it resulted in. I am not paid to do what the PM tells me to. I am paid to think his thoughts to the end.