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Yes times 1,000! This is what we're trying to address at Sourcegraph (https://sourcegraph.com/ https://sourcegraph.com/). 80% of programming is about reading a
by sqs 12y ago
Yes times 1,000!
This is what we're trying to address at Sourcegraph (https://sourcegraph.com/ https://sourcegraph.com/). 80% of programming is about reading and understanding code, not writing code.
Why don't existing tools focus more on helping people read and understand code--and, more broadly, collaborate on a development team? Things like:
* seeing everywhere a function or class is used, in context (like https://sourcegraph.com/github.com/joyent/node/.CommonJSPackage/node/.def/commonjs/lib/fs.js/-/readFile https://sourcegraph.com/github.com/joyent/node/.CommonJSPack... on the right side)
* seeing who at your company knows the most about an area of your codebase
* seeing the history of changes, in terms of functions/modules added, not just lines (like https://sourcegraph.com/github.com/fsouza/go-dockerclient/.commits/bf1b46533545b707ef2df1e6fbad239a08b76df4 https://sourcegraph.com/github.com/fsouza/go-dockerclient/.c...)
* having a long-lived discussion about a module/class/function that doesn't vanish after a commit is merged or the file's lines shift around
So far, most of the innovation in programming tools has been in editors or frameworks, not in collaboration and search tools for programmers.
While there are great editors and frameworks, the lopsidedness is unfortunate because making it easier for programmers to learn and reuse existing code and techniques, and to collaborate on projects, can have a much bigger impact than those other kinds of tools. That's because, in my experience, the limiting factors on a solo developer's productivity are the editors and frameworks she uses, but the limiting factor on a development team's productivity is communication (misunderstanding how to use things, reinventing the wheel, creating conflicting systems, not syncing release timelines, etc.).
- eropple 12y agoFWIW, I think this is absolutely fucking genius and everyone should check it out... ...but I can't give you money without Java/Scala support. Roadmap? Pleeeeease? =)
- vishnugupta 12y agoYes please! Also, I didn't see bitbucket support; hopefully you folks are working towards that?
- sqs 12y agoYes, we are working on better Bitbucket support (on par with our GitHub integration). You can follow or +1 the thread at https://github.com/sourcegraph/sourcegraph.com/issues/213 https://github.com/sourcegraph/sourcegraph.com/issues/213 so you get updates.
- JonnieCache 12y agoThe site doesn't seem to list which languages are supported.
- sqs 12y agoCurrently it's Python, Go, Ruby, and JavaScript (node.js only; not client-side yet). Java is coming soon. It does say it on the homepage and the docs page. Where were you looking? We'll make it clearer.
- radicalbyte 12y agoDo the JetBrains IDEs support this? Find All Usages and Jump To Definitions are the reason I spend 400 EUR on Resharper licenses, it makes reading code so much easier..
- ams6110 12y agoBrooks addresses this: Perhaps the biggest gain yet to be realized in the programming environment is the use of integrated database systems to keep track of the myriads of details that must be recalled accurately by the individual programmer and kept current in a group of collaborators on a single system. Surely this work is worthwhile, and surely it will bear some fruit in both productivity and reliability. But by its very nature, the return from now on must be marginal. Tools will not solve the essential difficulties of software engineering.
- mqsiuser 12y agoThank you for the initial posting, so much true. Brook's comment is a bit old and there usually evolve things to adress issues: His integrated database system is: The web, (project-)wikis, issue tracking, version control, (discussion&help-)forums, the code and comments in code. Anyways, it's true: Reading code often is a nightmare... but at least for me also because of over-abstraction/complication (done by IT guys/colleagues) and misdevelopments/trends/hypes (mainly done by the IT industry).
- electrum 12y agoVery cool! This needs Java support and integration with IntelliJ IDEA.
- srcmap 12y agoI have similar needs to understand complex code base such as 5-20gb of Android platform code, so I wrote an webapp/site for that: It lets you cross reference and document any language with gigabytes of code, e.g. Android platform code. Jelly bean ~9 gb of code. Try it out: http://www.srcmap.org/s/sl.htm/p=android-4.2.2_r1 http://www.srcmap.org/s/sl.htm/p=android-4.2.2_r1 Sample Documents created from that app are here: http://www.srcmap.org/p/1/4af293f91271/Android_Init_startup_process.html http://www.srcmap.org/p/1/4af293f91271/Android_Init_startup_... http://www.srcmap.org/p/1/80c16319d25e/Docker.html http://www.srcmap.org/p/1/80c16319d25e/Docker.html http://www.srcmap.org/p/6/4a88339ceef3/mtpd_source_code_study_in_aosp_4_2_2__init_rc__c__java_VPNProfile_interaction_tracing.html http://www.srcmap.org/p/6/4a88339ceef3/mtpd_source_code_stud... http://www.srcmap.org/p/1/212c9a285186/Google_IO_2014____schedule_APP_Wearable.html http://www.srcmap.org/p/1/212c9a285186/Google_IO_2014____sch... The ux is ok. A few gigabytes of code db running in a cheapest $5 instance of Digital Ocean. The app is very simple ~8 mb of standalone binary, no external dependency do any other app/db.
- srcmap 12y agoWhat does the yc folks/alum think? Good enough to get into yc?
- randall 12y agoWho are you selling it to / what's your plan to grow any part of the biz?
- srcmap 12y agoFor now, free for individual developers to help validate and get tractions, like to see if i can entice free higher level license with exchange for contents/sharings, Doesn't seem to be working. I like to sell it as team/site license for large dev team in the future. The traction doesn't seem to be there yet. Because my burn rate is < $150 per year, I have ~1500 users / month come to the site from pure google search alone. I am just slowly experiment with different features/msg/channels.