[ prog / sol / mona ]

prog


Improving

16 2020-03-24 13:55

>>15

Besides a mathematical inclination, an exceptionally good mastery of one's native tongue is the most vital asset of a competent programmer.

My native tongue is a heavily-onomatopoeic anglesque. Yes it does hold. ``Native tongue'' was not meant to refer, metaphorically, to his preferred computer language, but to the psychical system by which he holds, durably, his thoughts. (This is distinct from ``native language,'' which is the psychical system by which he thinks. OK, it was probably meant the language by which he communicates naturally to other persons; but my interpretation is better. It is, naturally, better to too master one's communicative skills.

>https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~evans/cs655/readings/ewd498.html
Vide Galileo Galilei

Uh, no. His crime was being an asshole about how he told the truth. There were plenty of Scientists (majuscule initial, representing ``real'' e.g. rigorous, empirical,, science) who were not prosecuted, because they kept the (sometimes exceedingly thin) veil of churchliness.

The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offence.

The exclusive use of any particular language cripples the mind, especially premature use.

The problems of business administration in general and data base management in particular are much too difficult for people that think in IBMerese, compounded with sloppy English.

It's plain decent sense: no jargon, should be among the first rules of intelligents. Jargon cripples the mind. Ever read TV Tropes? Use compositional, rigorous, monosemic constructions. Ignore whatever isn't (e.g. opaquety, vaguety,, velcetera).

Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail.

Unless you're Donald Knuth. (cf. Literate Programming)

The tools we use have a profound (and devious!) influence on our thinking habits, and, therefore, on our thinking abilities.

Unless you're Donald Knuth. (cf. The Art Of Computer Programming)

Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. [Handwritten annotation]

Unless you're Donald Knuth. (cf., excuse SVP it's poorly typeset, \TeX)
>>10 >I have no idea how to study mathematics on my own.
Read synoptically (Mortimer Adler) a shortlist of modern classics. (e.g. Generally: Bourbaki, Serge Lang, ProofWiki, nLab, Loeve Probability, Knuth,,)

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