Re: [tlug] What is Code?: Learn By Watching, Learn By Doing

[Attila Kinali <attila@example.com>]

On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 07:52:07 -0400
jep200404@example.com wrote:

> On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 09:08:34 +0200, Attila Kinali <attila@example.com> wrote:
> 
> > Actually, I think the "not being able to watch" is probably the most
> > important part here. People get a feeling for how it is to do X by
> > watching other people do it. 
> 
> One could watch pair programming. 
> Better yet would be part of the part.
> 
> > Eventhough many
> > people do write code (probably more than there are in any other craft),
> > there is nothing to watch.
> 
> There is stuff to watch, but non-programmers do not watch. 
> 
> Consider one full day of pair programming, where the 
> non-programmer is the only one manipulating the computer and 
> there is much talking between the non-programmer and 
> programmer.

If someone would pair you up with someone speaking Uyghur
and give you the task to write some text, how would that
help you understand what it means to be an Uyghur native
speaker? Even given a full day, you would still not understand
any Uyghur (safe a few words) and hardly be able to write down
the words you hear. And if your pair is not able to speak any
language you know (which is quite common with programmers), 
then you would not even get that far. And we are not yet
talking about doing any real work. 


			Attila Kinali
-- 
I must not become metastable. 
Metastability is the mind-killer.
Metastability is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my metastability. 
I will permit it to pass over me and through me. 
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. 
Where the metastability has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.