[Info-vax] Python for x86?

[bill]

On 4/17/2023 8:15 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2023-04-14, bill <bill.gunshannon at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 4/14/2023 1:46 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> My point is that Python has a major thing going for it in that it is
>>> relatively easy to learn and use by people who are not professional
>>> programmers or professional sysadmins.
>>
>> And if all there was to programming was syntax that might be a good
>> thing.  But it isn't and having all these totally unqualified asses
>> writing "programs" is certainly not a good thing.
>>
> 
> That is a totally out of touch and _extremely_ elitist thing to say Bill.

Really?  Do you apply the same opinion to doctors?  Lawyers?
The investment bankers handling your retirement money?  How
about the mechanic who's going to work on your Tesla or Porsche?

There is much more to programming than just knowing the syntax
of a language.

> 
> We are talking about applications and areas that have skilled domain
> knowledge experts, but who are not computer programmers. What you
> appear to be saying is that these people are not allowed to use their
> expertise until they become C or C++ experts.

No, what I am saying is they should be coordinating with someone
skilled in programming to get the job done.  Remember a language
called Pilot?  How about Hypertalk?  These were going to take the
task of programming out of the hands of programmer and put it in
the hands of elementary school teachers.  How'd that work out?

> 
> Python is being used to allow these people to make full of their
> specialised knowledge without having to learn C or C++.

So you would be OK with the guy who fixes lawnmowers using his
"specialized skills" to fix your Cadilac Escalade?  After all,
their both just devices with ICE.

> 
> Also, given the interactive nature of many of these applications, Python is
> way more suited than C or C++ anyway, at least when it comes to initially
> exploring a problem.

Yeah, well, I don;'t agree with that either, but that is another
problem entirely.

> 
> Besides, how would you even _use_ C or C++ as a scripting language
> in (for example) Blender anyway ?

Any task you can do with a scripting language you can do with a real
language.  Picking the right language for the job is part of what used
to be software engineering.  But then, if your not going to have an
engineer design and build your software.  Let's apply that to other
tasks like bridges.  I can build nice bridges with Lego blocks so I
should be able to design and build the next big highway bridge.


I really miss the days before software engineering when we had
domain specific languages and program were actually designed to
accomplish specific tasks.  Oh wait, we have Agile now and there
is no longer a need for a design because reaching an endpoint is
no longer required.

bill