[Tutor] Re: Did you learn to program with Python???

[Magnus Lycka]

At 06:45 2002-10-27 -0800, Emile van Sebille wrote:
>Magnus:
> > For instance, my current customer had read this (I think),
> > and while he is fairly happy with our development, I think
> > he has slightly high expectations on Python, trying to do
> > advanced development himself, without having any significant
> > programming experience.
>
>Aahhh.. CP4E in action.  ;-)

He he...

I think it's a very worthy goal to make Python available
for non-programmers as a useful tool. Just as it should be
possible to write letters without being a Pulitzer prize
class author, and just as it should be possible to fix
small problems in your car without being a professional
mechanic with a first rate workshop, it's reasonable that
a tool like Python could be one of the tools they use in
their computer, along with Excel, a web browser and
whatever...

My wife cuts my son's hair, but wouldn't propose to
cut mine. My sister cuts mine, but would certainly not
offer fix the hair for a bride before a wedding. I just
repaired the zipper in a laundry bag, but I know my
limitations as a tailor... Most people are capable of
performing limited tasks in all sorts of fields, but it
helps if we know our limitations.

Programming and computers is still fairly new areas. I
imagine it took decades before people really understood
how to commincate effectively on the phone, and I think
you have heard about the chaos Orson Welles cause with
his radio play based on H.G. Wells "The War of the Worlds".
Today, people do't react like that.

I certainly remember the boost of home computers in the
early 80's, when everybody was supposed to learn BASIC and
housewives should write programs to store their recipes.
That was silly, and today people certainly know that being
a computer user and being a programmer is not the same thing.
(But really, the big difference is that such a plethora of
ready made programs are widely available at a very low cost
today. Then you needed to program to get anything useful out
of your C-64 or whatever.)

As a professional programmer, I sometimes notice that management
people think that they can swap professional compentence for a
tool or a process. This would save money I guess. Sure, competence
requirements change. You don't need electronic engineers and
scientists in white coats to create an advanced IT system today.
As programs gets easier to work with, less knowledge of hardware
is needed (even though it always helps). People can be useful in
creating software without knowing machine language or how processors
work internally.

But people still need to understand a lot about problem solving,
algorithms and how systems works from a mathematical and physical
point of view to be able to create working complex systems--software
based or not. Since people adapt, react and break rules when they
have to do that, a people-based system might work despite a poor
design. For software this is not true, and it won't be for a long
time. Maybe self-improving and self-repairing software will evolve,
but that's another decade...

I just hope people will understand what the can and can't do. I
think Python can help, if used wisely.


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Magnus Lyck=E5, Thinkware AB
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