I think we programmers become so used to thinking about things abstractly that we forget the metaphors we were using when we first learned to program. When I write C I'm often thinking about how the operation changes memory locations and registers, but I barely knew those when I started.
This topic is also very interesting to me because my wife has shown an interest in programming which I'd like to nurture, but we have communication problems because I regularly use terms she doesn't fully understand yet and it is hard for me to put myself in the shoes of someone just starting out.
Besides the problem you described (inferential distance), I find the other problem in explaining or writing things is signaling social status incongruently. Like sometimes my tone strays from friendly toward lecturely.
This is great! although I do have a few comments. Looks like the OP has the makings of a fun children's book on his hands. My only qualm though is the Star Belly Sneetch Machine spits out Sneetches with star's on their bellies.
Probably a more functional idiom would be a Sneetch goes into the machine and spits out a Sneetch with the a star on his belly, whilst the original Sneetch is shuffled off somewhere or parts ways.
3 comments
[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 15.6 ms ] threadThis topic is also very interesting to me because my wife has shown an interest in programming which I'd like to nurture, but we have communication problems because I regularly use terms she doesn't fully understand yet and it is hard for me to put myself in the shoes of someone just starting out.
Besides the problem you described (inferential distance), I find the other problem in explaining or writing things is signaling social status incongruently. Like sometimes my tone strays from friendly toward lecturely.
Probably a more functional idiom would be a Sneetch goes into the machine and spits out a Sneetch with the a star on his belly, whilst the original Sneetch is shuffled off somewhere or parts ways.