Python vs C++

[Neil D. Cerutti]

On 8/23/2014 9:00 AM, Chris Angelico wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 23, 2014 at 10:38 PM, Rustom Mody <rustompmody at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Here is an example (not identical but analogous to) where markup+compile is
>> distinctly weaker than wysiwyg:
>>
>> You can use lilypond to type music and the use a midi player to play it
>> But lilypond does not allow playing and seeing-in-realtime
>>
>> WYSIWYG editors allow that -- can make a huge difference to beginners
>> who find music hard to read.
>
> I don't buy that it's weaker. In fact, I'd say this proves that markup
> is distinctly better - just a little harder to do "Hello, world" in.
>
> At best, the simple GUI makes it easier to do something
> straight-forward, and then basically lets you drop to the more
> complicated form. At worst, it makes it easier to do the very simple,
> and nearly impossible to do the more complicated.

The worst part of using a WYSIWIG program is the frustration of 
correcting a bewildering problem when some kind of autoformatting magic 
goes wrong.

One odd example is when using Word to compose template documents meant 
for merging with external data. The markup+compile phase takes on a 
whole new, horrible meaning. My ears are turning red just imagining the 
next time I have to do it.

-- 
Neil Cerutti