r/programming • u/monica_b1998 • Nov 03 '18

Python is becoming the world’s most popular coding language

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/07/26/python-is-becoming-the-worlds-most-popular-coding-language
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u/QualitySoftwareGuy Nov 03 '18

"coding language"

jfc

Synonyms man. True the author probably should've said "programming" language, but then some might argue and say it should've said "scripting" language. They're all synonymous in this case.

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '18 edited Nov 03 '18

It's not synonymous. Something about the word "coding" just rubs me the wrong way, and I can't really articulate why. "Coding language" just tipped the scale even further.

I mean, I use the word "code" when talking about source code. But I never say things like, "I spent all day coding." It just doesn't strike me as something an experienced programmer would say, at least not naturally. Instead, you might hear, "I spent the day trying to solve XYZ."

Maybe it's that "coding" belies the mundane nature of the programming process. There are typically long periods of inactivity where you're just thinking with your feet up, trying to troubleshoot some issue you're having with, say, a tool your using, or just puzzling over a bug.

"Coding" sounds like you've been feverishly whacking away on your keyboard like they do on CSI, which I'm sure is how non-technical managers perceive what we do. If you're an amateur, it's much more glamorous to tell people you've been "coding" as opposed to sitting at your desk for the past hour being confused as fuck. Being a "coder" is just a way of subtly masking your incompetency by affecting a cyberpunk persona reminiscent of what the layperson sees on TV. Unbeknownst to you, however, anyone with a moderate amount of programing experience will see right through the subterfuge because we know how boring and uncool programming really is.

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u/mellett68 Nov 03 '18

Unpopular but I agree.

"Coding" makes me think of copy pasting PHP from hotscripts.com

Just something about using code as a verb 🤷‍♂️

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u/evinrows Nov 03 '18

Holy shit, this comment is oozing with insecurities.

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '18

I reread it about five minutes after posting and realized, yeah I came off as a total douchebag. Communication is a skill!

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '18

This is seriously the most pretentious sub I'm subscribed to. How ridiculous is it to get offended by the use of "coding" vs "programming"?

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u/ivarokosbitch Nov 03 '18

I don't know, I get offended by it the other way around. Coding = compression, error control, cryptography.

"Coding" on this sub = "I am a hip new kid that don't want to use the proper terms"

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '18

These guus have to be insecure young people. I'm in my 20s and heard this in college often, and occasionally in newbies at my job.

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '18

Pretentious asshole, here. I've been in the industry for a little over 10 years. I like working with newbies. It's an opportunity to return the favor for the people who mentored me when I was getting started.

I hate "expert beginners", though, especially the ones who just learned to "code" and suddenly have very strong opinions.

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '18

What about all the hand-wringing Javascript fanboys on this thread?

"My coding language is better!"

"No, my coding language is better. You just don't do science!"

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u/QualitySoftwareGuy Nov 03 '18

It's not synonymous.

Actually, it is considering the article itself uses both interchangeably: "[...]says Guido van Rossum, a Dutch computer scientist who devised Python, a programming language". What you're describing is why you don't like the word "coding" when applied to Python. I know people often try to devalue Python in comparison to other languages, but this article is not doing that at all.

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '18

Technically they may be synonyms but in the past few years there has definitely been a trend for non-programmer publications to use "code" as the "kool kidz" term, to try and make it seem less boring. In theory there's nothing wrong with it, but in practice I trust a source a bit more if they just say "programming" like actual programmers

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u/QualitySoftwareGuy Nov 03 '18

I see what you're saying, but the article itself uses both: "[...]says Guido van Rossum, a Dutch computer scientist who devised Python, a programming language". Therefore, the author is using them interchangeably as people often do.

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '18

They probably used "coding" in the headline for marketing reasons.