2 ms·

> ...ask a musician if they are really in the weeds of why the instrument is producing music (the physics behind it!). They are probably aware that it's vibrati

> ...ask a musician if they are really in the weeds of why the instrument is producing music (the physics behind it!). They are probably aware that it's vibrating air, but, in general, they won't know the theory behind it. A big difference is that, unlike computing, their instrument probably won't stop working because of some subtle change to physics introduced by a seemingly-unrelated change made to the universe by some other party in the musical instrument / air / molecules / atoms / quarks "stack". Theirs is a world with some assurance of stability. Ours is a field built upon shifting sands. Knowing what the foundations are that the edifice you've constructed sits upon allows you to affect repairs when it crumbles unexpectedly.

pydry 3y ago
Musical instruments can and do break for unknown reasons and it's exactly as reasonable to expect musicians to crack out their machine tools to fix them as it is to expect a javascript dev to fix a kernel bug. Computers are a relatively new invention. There are still people around from the times when knowing the entire stack from top to bottom was not just valuable but necessary. They worked during periods when abstractions were far leakier than they are today and far less reliable but also far simpler. Some of those people have persisted with the attitude that knowing the stack top to bottom is still necessary as the complexity of those stacks have grown in complexity geometrically. This does not signify wisdom, only age.
- mejutoco 3y ago
  I think for the analogy to work either we compare: - a musician knowing how to fix their instrument vs a programmer knowing how to fix their keyboard/computer Or - a musician fixing some harmony, or progression vs a programmer fixing a bug in code Otherwise it does not feel like a fair comparison.
- syndicatedjelly 3y ago
  To really press on the analogy some more: - Knowing how to change strings is comparable to knowing how to use the browser console - Knowing music theory is comparable to understanding programming language theory - Being competent on the fretboard is comparable to being competent in one programming language. Strumming/fingerpicking could be considered another language. --- And then for the controversial one... - Only knowing how to use music-making software is like only knowing how to use low-code applications for development. dodges tomatoes
MonadIsPronad 3y ago
> Knowing what the foundations are that the edifice you've constructed sits upon allows you to affect repairs when it crumbles unexpectedly. Finally get to use this bit of knowledge: 'effect' (the verb) was the word you wanted there.
- EvanAnderson 3y ago
  Thanks! That one frequently trips me up. If I think about it for a moment I know "his affect" is different than "the effect something has", but, as is sadly and normally the case, I power thru writing w/o thinking as much as I should.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]

pydry 3y ago

Musical instruments can and do break for unknown reasons and it's exactly as reasonable to expect musicians to crack out their machine tools to fix them as it is to expect a javascript dev to fix a kernel bug. Computers are a relatively new invention. There are still people around from the times when knowing the entire stack from top to bottom was not just valuable but necessary. They worked during periods when abstractions were far leakier than they are today and far less reliable but also far simpler. Some of those people have persisted with the attitude that knowing the stack top to bottom is still necessary as the complexity of those stacks have grown in complexity geometrically. This does not signify wisdom, only age.

mejutoco 3y ago
I think for the analogy to work either we compare: - a musician knowing how to fix their instrument vs a programmer knowing how to fix their keyboard/computer Or - a musician fixing some harmony, or progression vs a programmer fixing a bug in code Otherwise it does not feel like a fair comparison.
syndicatedjelly 3y ago
To really press on the analogy some more: - Knowing how to change strings is comparable to knowing how to use the browser console - Knowing music theory is comparable to understanding programming language theory - Being competent on the fretboard is comparable to being competent in one programming language. Strumming/fingerpicking could be considered another language. --- And then for the controversial one... - Only knowing how to use music-making software is like only knowing how to use low-code applications for development. dodges tomatoes

MonadIsPronad 3y ago

> Knowing what the foundations are that the edifice you've constructed sits upon allows you to affect repairs when it crumbles unexpectedly. Finally get to use this bit of knowledge: 'effect' (the verb) was the word you wanted there.

EvanAnderson 3y ago
Thanks! That one frequently trips me up. If I think about it for a moment I know "his affect" is different than "the effect something has", but, as is sadly and normally the case, I power thru writing w/o thinking as much as I should.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]