Reply-To: "DarrenH" <darrenh@overtime.ca>
From: "DarrenH" <darrenh@overtime.ca>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
References: <a9hvs6$riq$1@wiscnews.wiscnet.net>
Subject: Re: UNIX as literature; or, why IF and GUIs don't mix
Lines: 81
Organization: DarrenH
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2919.6600
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600
Message-ID: <6r0v8.16852$f5.1136486@news>
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 21:10:26 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Host: 206.191.54.6
X-Trace: news 1018991426 206.191.54.6 (Tue, 16 Apr 2002 17:10:26 EDT)
NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 17:10:26 EDT
Path: news.duke.edu!newsgate.duke.edu!nntp-out.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!newshub.northeast.verio.net!verio!netnews.com!xfer02.netnews.com!newsin.iconnet.net!feed.tor.primus.ca!feed.nntp.primus.ca!newsfeed.torontointernetxchange.net!news.eol.ca!news1.tor.metronet.ca!nntp.magma.ca!news!not-for-mail
Xref: news.duke.edu rec.arts.int-fiction:103294

I belive (as a programmer myself) that it's pretty hard to code something of
any versatility without "getting under the hood" and doing the work of
line-by-line programming.  It's nice to work in an 'environment' when
possible, I find that Visual Basic is particularly nice in this respect as
you can catch and fix various obvious syntactic bugs as you write.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, if you don't like programming), you still
need to do the coding other than while creating the visible forms that the
program runs behind.

A drag-and-drop style of programming environment will, through limiting the
input of the programmer, limit the control the programmer has over the final
product.  This doesn't mean the work will be inherently worse than a
hand-coded piece, sometimes it might be the best solution depending on the
story.  It's just that it may resemble other drag-and-drop works of IF
you've encountered, with the same set of strengths and weaknesses based on
the engine used to create the work.

A slightly OT analogy (but comparable):  I as a new media worker can almost
always tell when someone has coded their website by hand or by using
programs like Front Page.  And any doubt can be removed by viewing the
source HTML, the quality of which may not be important to the browser when
rendering a page but can sure cause problems if a coder decides to go back
and modify an existing work later on.

Good, clean coding is still an important thing to be able to do and good
coding habits are important.  And the act of coding, for me, is challenging,
fun, and it keeps my mind sharp.  And I need all the help I can get..... :)

Cheers
Darren



"Dennis G. Jerz" <JerzDG@uwec.edu> wrote in message
news:a9hvs6$riq$1@wiscnews.wiscnet.net...
> I use IF-IDE for small Inform projects, and I use it when I introduce
Inform
> to my students -- but I find that I don't use it for my major works, for
> various reasons.  One of those reasons is that I started my current WIP
long
> before I had heard of IF-IDE, and had developed macros for my text editor
of
> choice -- and that has nothing to do with the quality of IF-IDE, and
> everything to do with my own unwillingness to change.
>
> I hope IF-IDE continues to develop -- it does more than show great
promise,
> it really does help flatten the learning curve.
>
> But I recently came across an interesting article that argues that UNIX
> appeals to the most intellectual of comptuer programmers in part because
the
> command-line style of programming more closely resembles the act of
writing
> an essay.
>
> "Working on the command line, hands poised over the keys uninterrupted by
> frequent reaches for the mouse, is a posture familiar to wordsmiths
> (especially the really old guys who once worked on teletypes or electric
> typewriters). It makes some of the same demands as writing an essay. Both
> require composition skills. Both demand a thorough knowledge of grammar
and
> syntax. Both reward mastery with powerful, compact expression." -- Thomas
> Scoville
> http://web.meganet.net/yeti/PCarticle.html
>
> Does what Scoville say about UNIX apply to IF programming?  Do the people
> who NEED a GUI interface really have what it takes to produce quality IF?
> Or is that an elitist assumption?
>
>
> --
> Dennis G. Jerz, Ph.D.; (715)836-2431
> Dept. of English; U Wisc.-Eau Claire
> 419 Hibbard,  Eau Claire, WI   54702
> ------------------------------------
> Literacy Weblog: www.uwec.edu/jerzdg
>
>


