Re:The Future of Software Is No Code
by ravenstine on Monday April 23, 2018 @01:33PM
(#16905560)
Even simpler than that, most people simply aren't interested in programming. A lot of programmers seem to have difficulty comprehending this. As you say, there are of course barriers for many, but we can't continue with the premise that everyone could be a coder and would be a coder if X and Y were met.
I argue that programming languages are not complicated. Although most people butcher the English language, it's a far more complicated language than C, which has relatively few keywords and an unambiguous syntax. But programming languages, especially C, are tremendously repetitious and lack nuance because of the fact that they are so simple. Simplistic units in principle are really good at building different complex things, whereas things that are more complicated are usually better at articulating simpler ideas. No wonder nobody programs computers in English! A programming language that tries to meet parity with English, or any spoken language, would be an utter nightmare to deal with.
My point is that someone who has any innate interest in programming can make their way past the layer of intimidation, especially now more than ever with the sheer amount of information that didn't exist when I started coding. I remember when looking at code was intimidating because it didn't match my understanding of what a language was, and it was in the era of "Just F###ing Google It" when nobody on forums would help you, online documentation was terrible, and there was no Stack Overflow. Now, there is really almost nothing holding anyone back besides the will to do so.
There is a limited amount of things that most people are willing to learn. When one is hardly autodidactic, they will choose the path of least resistance and only learn when it is a necessity. When programming to any degree isn't a necessity for someone, they're not going to want to do it. Heck, sites like Wix and Squarespace are insanely easy to use, and I know people who want to make their own site for their business and drag their feet in using site builders because they find it annoying to understand what it even is they're doing when they're dragging around components. They don't want to have to learn, and would rather someone who is interested in building sites do the work for them.
I argue that programming languages are not complicated. Although most people butcher the English language, it's a far more complicated language than C, which has relatively few keywords and an unambiguous syntax. But programming languages, especially C, are tremendously repetitious and lack nuance because of the fact that they are so simple. Simplistic units in principle are really good at building different complex things, whereas things that are more complicated are usually better at articulating simpler ideas. No wonder nobody programs computers in English! A programming language that tries to meet parity with English, or any spoken language, would be an utter nightmare to deal with.
My point is that someone who has any innate interest in programming can make their way past the layer of intimidation, especially now more than ever with the sheer amount of information that didn't exist when I started coding. I remember when looking at code was intimidating because it didn't match my understanding of what a language was, and it was in the era of "Just F###ing Google It" when nobody on forums would help you, online documentation was terrible, and there was no Stack Overflow. Now, there is really almost nothing holding anyone back besides the will to do so.
There is a limited amount of things that most people are willing to learn. When one is hardly autodidactic, they will choose the path of least resistance and only learn when it is a necessity. When programming to any degree isn't a necessity for someone, they're not going to want to do it. Heck, sites like Wix and Squarespace are insanely easy to use, and I know people who want to make their own site for their business and drag their feet in using site builders because they find it annoying to understand what it even is they're doing when they're dragging around components. They don't want to have to learn, and would rather someone who is interested in building sites do the work for them.
Hence, why there are still programmers.