5 ms·

I was expecting something very different from the word "koans". IMO, "React.js exercises" would be a better title for the project.

by lowboy 11y ago

sup 11y ago
"exercises" is not hip enough.
mmanfrin 11y ago
A nod to ruby koans (which was probably a nod to another language): https://github.com/neo/ruby_koans https://github.com/neo/ruby_koans
corysama 11y ago
I believe the word they were looking for is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata Hmmm.... googling around, there seems to be a lot of recent "programming koans" that are actually collections of rote exercises rather than lessons in zen enlightenment. Frustrating... It looks like what happened was that a while back, someone made a very nice set of exercises each presented as a koan and a failing unit test to "meditate upon". Imitators then watered that down to exercises presented as failing unit tests to "meditate upon". Which was later watered down to just exercises... For a classic example of an actual programming koan, I can only refer to the archive of Doug Bagely's "Functional Programming Koans, in OCaml" http://web.archive.org/web/20041012103936/http://www.bagley.org/~doug/ocaml/Notes/okoans.shtml http://web.archive.org/web/20041012103936/http://www.bagley.... and, the old favorite teaching the relationship between objects and closures http://people.csail.mit.edu/gregs/ll1-discuss-archive-html/msg03277.html http://people.csail.mit.edu/gregs/ll1-discuss-archive-html/m...
- andybak 11y ago
  If this is the case, we should appeal to the author's sense of decency. The concept of 'koan' is far too unique and beautiful to be watered down.
- Roodgorf 11y ago
  I think you're right in the confusion of koan and kata, but unfortunately yes, I have seen a lot of that happening lately (perhaps due to greater awareness of the word from recent popularity of CodeWars[0]?). Interestingly I've only seen this mistake in this direction, I have not seen any koans mislabeled as kata. [0] http://www.codewars.com/about http://www.codewars.com/about
- jt2190 11y ago
  > Which was later watered down to just exercises... What if the word "koan" were understood to mean "excercise"?
  - corysama 11y ago
    That's the problem. Someone made a nice set of "programming koans" that were (koans + exercises). But, that has spawned new "programming koans" that are just a set of (exercises) with no koans. Koans are supposed to involve practice [0]. But, does practicing a set of (koans + exercises - koans) have koan-nature? ;) [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dan
Lazare 11y ago
Same. Although apparently the word is misused a lot: http://www.lauradhamilton.com/learn-a-new-programming-language-today-with-koans http://www.lauradhamilton.com/learn-a-new-programming-langua... Not sure if this is a fight we can still win.
- mattdotc 11y ago
  Outsider's perspective looking in: This is hacker versus cracker all over again.
  - Retra 11y ago
    People are probably awful... They hear a new word, don't know what it means, and then copy it all over the place until it doesn't mean anything anymore.

I was expecting something very different from the word "koans". IMO, "React.js exercises" would be a better title for the project.

by lowboy 11y ago

I was expecting something very different from the word "koans". IMO, "React.js exercises" would be a better title for the project.

sup 11y ago

"exercises" is not hip enough.

mmanfrin 11y ago

A nod to ruby koans (which was probably a nod to another language): https://github.com/neo/ruby_koans https://github.com/neo/ruby_koans

corysama 11y ago

I believe the word they were looking for is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata Hmmm.... googling around, there seems to be a lot of recent "programming koans" that are actually collections of rote exercises rather than lessons in zen enlightenment. Frustrating... It looks like what happened was that a while back, someone made a very nice set of exercises each presented as a koan and a failing unit test to "meditate upon". Imitators then watered that down to exercises presented as failing unit tests to "meditate upon". Which was later watered down to just exercises... For a classic example of an actual programming koan, I can only refer to the archive of Doug Bagely's "Functional Programming Koans, in OCaml" http://web.archive.org/web/20041012103936/http://www.bagley.org/~doug/ocaml/Notes/okoans.shtml http://web.archive.org/web/20041012103936/http://www.bagley.... and, the old favorite teaching the relationship between objects and closures http://people.csail.mit.edu/gregs/ll1-discuss-archive-html/msg03277.html http://people.csail.mit.edu/gregs/ll1-discuss-archive-html/m...

andybak 11y ago
If this is the case, we should appeal to the author's sense of decency. The concept of 'koan' is far too unique and beautiful to be watered down.
Roodgorf 11y ago
I think you're right in the confusion of koan and kata, but unfortunately yes, I have seen a lot of that happening lately (perhaps due to greater awareness of the word from recent popularity of CodeWars[0]?). Interestingly I've only seen this mistake in this direction, I have not seen any koans mislabeled as kata. [0] http://www.codewars.com/about http://www.codewars.com/about
jt2190 11y ago
> Which was later watered down to just exercises... What if the word "koan" were understood to mean "excercise"?
- corysama 11y ago
  That's the problem. Someone made a nice set of "programming koans" that were (koans + exercises). But, that has spawned new "programming koans" that are just a set of (exercises) with no koans. Koans are supposed to involve practice [0]. But, does practicing a set of (koans + exercises - koans) have koan-nature? ;) [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dan

Lazare 11y ago

Same. Although apparently the word is misused a lot: http://www.lauradhamilton.com/learn-a-new-programming-language-today-with-koans http://www.lauradhamilton.com/learn-a-new-programming-langua... Not sure if this is a fight we can still win.

mattdotc 11y ago
Outsider's perspective looking in: This is hacker versus cracker all over again.
- Retra 11y ago
  People are probably awful... They hear a new word, don't know what it means, and then copy it all over the place until it doesn't mean anything anymore.