Programming Matters

Preface:

Please read Programming Paradigms and Programmer Audiences for a more through explanation of the metaphor below.

Driving:

Freedom…..

1. I know how fast I can safely drive and don’t need a speed limit to govern this.
2. I should be able to make a u-turn on the highway if I need to.
3. If there are no oncoming cars at a red light I should be able to drive through.
4. When there is space to park right in front of my destination and its not marked as a parking space, parking lot spaces are truly inconvenient.
5. Turn signals aren’t useful for someone who is paying attention.
6. A driver’s license doesn’t actually help me drive any better.
7. I’m aware of my car and don’t need to have it inspected constantly in order to know it running properly.
8. Having tags on my car isn’t useful to me - if I commit a driving violation pull me over and I’ll give you that information.

I am clever enough and good enough to master all of these things.

Constraints…….

People are inconvenienced by them.

However,

1. I feel safer knowing others have to obey the speed limit.
2. I don’t want people making u-turns on the highway.
3. People driving through red lights are accidents waiting to happen.
4. Parking spaces don’t impose perfect order by any means, but the order they do impose is good enough to prevent parking congestions.
5. Turn signals are reassuring because it seems like no one is paying attention.
6. Having a drivers license makes certain things more uniform and less arbitrary.
7. If people weren’t required to get their cars inspected the road would be a dangerous place.
8. People feel accountable with tags on their cars, they are more likely to play by the rules and abide by their contracts.

I don’t feel people are clever enough and good enough to master all of these things without rules.
Programming:

Freedom………

1. Rapid code generation and prototyping gets things up and running faster.
2. Lambda functions make it possible to elegantly solve some otherwise difficult problems.
3. If I know it is safe I should be able to do it …. period.
4. I should be able to organize data and code any way I’d like, flexibility and true macros are a good thing.
5. If I call a function it will see what I’m passing when it gets there - signature signaling is gratuitous.
6. I don’t need formal class definitions….. I’m not sure what the point is.
7. Compile time checking is pointless - run time checking does it all.
8. Static typing enforces rules that would be enforced anyways.

I feel I am clever enough and good enough to master all of these things.

However,

Constraints…….

1. So people create some truly terrifying prototype code.
2. Some people find lambda functions difficult to grok.
3. A lot of people will shoot themselves in the foot if handed a gun
4. Programmers can create some truly obscure metalanguages, and given the flexibility create masterpieces in obfuscation
5. When functions have explicit contracts they are more likely to at least try and follow them
6. Formal class definitions make it easier for most people to understand what is going on.
7. No matter how much you test you probably haven’t tested enough.
8. Static typing makes people more aware of what the rules and contracts actually are.

How do I think I drive:

I’m streamlined, clever and carefree. I bend the rules when I can to get the most flexibility I can.

How do I really drive:

Sometimes those rules and regulations really save me. And I am extremely glad they are there for others. There are some idiots on the road.

SOLUTION:

Why won’t these idiots just get off the road (not going to happen).

If programmers aren’t up to the tricky stuff they should be coding (not going to happen).

REALITY:

Everyone obeys the rules but bends them when they can to get the flexibility they need.

Languages need to support multiple paradigms to truly be safe and useful.