Interesting aspects of how to program a programming language

[ReneMiner]

Guys, since there are a few developers of programming languages present I would like you to have a look at this page,

It might bring up some new ideas to your main processing units (or call them brains):
http://worrydream.com/#, especially check the "Learnable Programming"-Section at "Recent Output"
(I do not want to retain the rest from you, so this is the main-pages link)

I know, the languages here on this page (especially thinBasic) are not "Programming-Learning-Languages" but every new user has to learn a new language.
It might show you some way to skip writing boring *.chm-files in the future since thinAir is not carved in stone like it is now for ever.

Btw. I tried out Processing for the last two or three months, I like the all-in-one-approach of it, also the fast, easy accessable 3d-lib and functions - but its IDE is crap in my opinion, I'm missing some overview there and searching the right line of code uses way to much time. Also I prefer using Basic over Java..

[ErosOlmi]

Thanks a lot Rene, it is a very interesting site.
I follow since some months (almost an year) Khan Academy and also made many tests in their site (you will find some post from me here in thinBasic forum)

I will read the full "LearnableProgramming" article this evening but starting to read few chapters one question come to my mind:
why the hell we have to "get people to understand programming?" ?????

It is like saying "we have to get people understanding black holes" or "we have to get people to get math" or "we have to get people to get Shakespeare" .... and many other "we have to get people to get ...". Why the hell we have to get people to get all!

Every people is different and that's why you can list so many different programming languages and different programming environments and many different programming ways to do the same simple or complex thing! There will never be THE PROGRAMMING language able to satisfy all the programmers even if the programming language will be easy, intuitive, graphical, drag and drop, or .... whatever you think is the perfect way to make a programming language. And that is positive.

Programming is something your have to get:

• because you like it
• because you have passion for it
• because you are determined to get it
• because you want to solve problems (easy or complex)
• because you like to spend days where other people prefer to get out to get a beer after few minutes of analysis

And there are many different levels of programming like there are many different levels of any attitude or ambition.
Not all have to get programming like not all have to get Shakespeare.


Thinking to all my years spent into programming (my job is not programming) I ended to 2 conclusions:

1. to get programming you must have some interesting (for you) problems to solve
2. start very very simple, with easy achievable subsequent targets

If you do not have some problems to solve or if you start with too ambitious projects ... you will never really understand how to program.

[ErosOlmi]

Anyway, a great reading I will take into consideration for future developments.
Thanks Rene

[ReneMiner]

Edit: you're welcome.

...

• because you like it
• because you have passion for it
• because you are determined to get it
• because you want to solve problems (easy or complex)
• because you like to spend days where other people prefer to get out to get a beer after few minutes of analysis

...

[sarcastic_mode]
Oh geeez, I'm just doing it because there is some evil man with a loaded shotgun standing right behind me all the time and targeting my head and he forces me also to use just thinBasic and nothing else. I would love to stop programming but that threateningly guy will surely shoot me then
[/sarcastic_mode]

-no mica - just kidding
I do it because I want to see a certain result on my screen and I feel good if I get my thoughts to work and it would not feel that good if a program would work always in the first attempt since that tells me to have mastered some "real" challenge by using my head.

[ErosOlmi]

[sarcastic_mode]
So ... I was not the only one to see that evil man!
[/sarcastic_mode]

[SteveOW]

...one question come to my mind:
why the hell we have to "get people to understand programming?" ?????

I really wish that the people who programmed my VCR/Smart TV/Mobile Phone/Digital Camera/Washing Machine/Wife had understood programming better..

IMO the world probably has enough good programmers coming through.
One problem is getting the good programmers into the important programming jobs and keeping the bad ones out.