Re: "I think the community needs more explicit direction...."
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On Mon, Nov 25, 2019 at 9:56 AM Avi Kessner < akessner@...> wrote: I'm currently in the process of getting both senior and junior developers to look at the existing code as "inspiration" to write easier to change code, rather than a gold standard to mimic.
I remember a time not that long ago that folks were encouraged to look at other peoples code. Reading code was as good a skill as being able to write code. "You have the full source for every website right in your browser! Go read it and learn from it!" They'd say.
Is it possible reading code has encouraged too much copy/paste? It is technologically easy to copy/paste code. I mean, what other purpose does stackoveflow serve?
I was never fond of literate programming, but mostly because I don't write prose well. Is it possible that focusing on communication of the thought process was always more important than the code itself? I mean, I think that has always?been the case otherwise we wouldn't need comments and documentation.
Or perhaps we just don't do enough teaching design prior to the workforce. Should we solve problems in school? Yes, we learn from trying things out and failing and trying again. But should we have problems to solve or solutions to design to meet certain criteria? The difference might be subtle and students who have spent their entire K-12 learning career mostly memorizing facts and solving math problems with single answers will always find it easier to "solve a problem" rather than design a solution.
-- Edwin G. Castro
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