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Programming > Forth > Re: Writing, Co...
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Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals (was Re: A Brief Look at History)

by Andrew Haley <andrew29@[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Mar 15, 2008 at 10:03 AM

m-coughlin <m-coughlin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>    I once discussed the source code style problem with a woman
> who earned her living as a technical editor. She told me that it
> was unrealistic to expect programmers to be able to both write
> working computer code and understandable English and that it was
> necessary to have a technical writer helping out the
> programmers.

Compare this with:

"A programmer must be able to express himself extremely well, both in
a natural language and in the formal systems.  The need for
exceptional mastery of a natural language is twofold.  Firstly it is
not uncommon that e.g. English is the language in which the problem is
communicated to him and in which he must describe his interpretation
or modification of the problem.  This cir***stance has been a source
of many misunderstandings to the extent that there is a wide-spread
belief that e.g.  English by its very nature is inadequate for the
communication task.  I don't believe it (although sloppy English
certainly is!), on the contrary: I always have the feeling that our
natural language is so intimately tied with what we call understanding
that we must be able to use it to express what we have understood.
Secondly, we should not close our eyes for the fact that
formalization, in a sense, is always "after the fact" and that
therefore natural language is an indispensable tool for thinking, in
particular when new concepts have to be introduced.  And this is what
a programmer has to do all the time; he has to introduce new concepts
--not occurring in the original problem statement-- in order to be
able to find, to describe and to understand his own solution to the
problem."  Dijkstra, EWD 361

Andrew.
 




 34 Posts in Topic:
Re: A Brief Look at History
Jonah Thomas <jethomas  2008-03-12 06:56:18 
Re: A Brief Look at History
Elizabeth D Rather <er  2008-03-12 07:17:48 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Doty <jpd@[EMAIL   2008-03-12 16:24:39 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Passaniti <nntp@[  2008-03-13 00:05:13 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Doty <jpd@[EMAIL   2008-03-12 19:28:19 
Re: A Brief Look at History
"Paul E. Bennett&quo  2008-03-13 19:16:12 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Doty <jpd@[EMAIL   2008-03-13 13:21:24 
Re: A Brief Look at History
"Paul E. Bennett&quo  2008-03-13 21:50:04 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Doty <jpd@[EMAIL   2008-03-13 16:16:28 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Passaniti <nntp@[  2008-03-14 05:03:16 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Doty <jpd@[EMAIL   2008-03-14 06:57:57 
Writing, Coding, and Professionals (was Re: A Brief Look at Hist
m-coughlin <m-coughlin  2008-03-14 19:51:54 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals (was Re: A Brief Look at
Andrew Haley <andrew29  2008-03-15 10:03:17 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals (was Re: A Brief Look at
Jerry Avins <jya@[EMAI  2008-03-15 11:12:47 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals
Guy Macon <http://www.  2008-03-15 18:02:03 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals
Andrew Haley <andrew29  2008-03-17 10:24:55 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals
Guy Macon <http://www.  2008-03-17 22:40:16 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals
anton@[EMAIL PROTECTED]   2008-03-18 11:13:09 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals
stephenXXX@[EMAIL PROTECT  2008-03-18 14:22:55 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals
Elizabeth D Rather <er  2008-03-18 09:47:02 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals
anton@[EMAIL PROTECTED]   2008-03-18 19:39:30 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals
"Paul E. Bennett&quo  2008-03-18 20:41:29 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals
Guy Macon <http://www.  2008-03-19 10:14:57 
Re: Writing, Coding, and Professionals
anton@[EMAIL PROTECTED]   2008-03-19 13:40:38 
Re: A Brief Look at History
"Paul E. Bennett&quo  2008-03-13 19:02:46 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Doty <jpd@[EMAIL   2008-03-13 13:16:17 
Re: A Brief Look at History
Elizabeth D Rather <er  2008-03-13 13:30:33 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Doty <jpd@[EMAIL   2008-03-13 14:50:04 
Re: A Brief Look at History
stephenXXX@[EMAIL PROTECT  2008-03-15 17:39:38 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Doty <jpd@[EMAIL   2008-03-15 12:09:14 
Re: A Brief Look at History
stephenXXX@[EMAIL PROTECT  2008-03-15 19:00:23 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Doty <jpd@[EMAIL   2008-03-15 13:51:22 
Re: A Brief Look at History
m-coughlin <m-coughlin  2008-03-14 19:00:35 
Re: A Brief Look at History
John Doty <jpd@[EMAIL   2008-03-12 17:18:24 

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tan12V112 Sat Oct 11 18:35:09 CDT 2008.