[OT] Text as digitization [was Re: Where has the practice of sending screen shots as source code come from?]

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Tue, 30 Jan 2018 05:48:15 -0800, Rustom Mody wrote:

> Text is a highly stylized unnatural medium

Hmmm. I think it is no more "unnatural" than whale songs or the extremely 
formalised dancing rituals of birds or any other animal communication.

Our species just takes this communication to a higher level of 
information content -- but that's a matter of degree, not kind.

But okay, for the sake of the argument, it's highly stylised (like formal 
logic, mathematical reasoning, filling in your tax return, and Kabuki 
theatre). How is that relevant?

We're talking about *programmers* here -- if they can't cope with the 
highly stylised textual medium in which they work, they're going to 
really struggle to, you know, actually program.

And as for being unnatural -- that would be like electric lights, 
antibiotics, eyeglasses, and dentistry. Still not seeing the downside 
here. The natural state of humanity is to spend the majority of your life 
being cold and hungry, hot and hungry, or terrified, before dying young.


> Its an extreme digitization
> of something (do you remember?) called handwriting… 

Of course I remember handwriting. I still use handwriting.

Typed text has evolved from handwriting, via printing. What's your point?


> That people who have not been cultured in a certain way can do
> aggravating things like talking with pics instead of text — I wont
> dispute That people who have gone from the nature to nurture process
> conveniently forget this process is more aggravating

I'm sorry, I don't understand this paragraph.


-- 
Steve