As is appropriate for a blogger, I will periodically review other blogs of a similar focus. Here is the first of those reviews.
One of the most-read and most-recommended programming blogs out there is Jeff Atwood's "Coding Horror: programming and human factors."
Atwood says he started the blog in 2004 to track software development as he thinks about it. The blog offers keen insight into the actual working world of programming at a professional level that is not restricted to any one programming language or technology. As the title suggests, he illuminates a human side of programming.
He writes, “Computers are fascinating machines, but they're mostly a reflection of the people using them. In the art of software development, studying code isn't enough; you have to study the people behind the software, too.”
Atwood founded Stack Overflow, a programmer employment resource. He is currently developing Discourse, a forum platform. So, true to the purpose of the blog, a lot of the entries have to do with these projects.
As a novice to the field, I find the integrated discourse of an expert both challenging and useful. Kind of like reading literary criticism as an undergraduate, I find the language is rich with contextualized learning opportunities. That is, there is a lot I don’t really understand, but the unfamiliar becomes familiar and understandable through repeated used by masters of the discourse (and a little google-grease as desired).
The subject matter is given life and texture in a social context. You find a substance lending to a deeper quality of understanding—both through the interactive nature of the conversation the author engages in, and, in the case of Coding Horror, through the human element of the subject matter itself.
It is kind of like learning a language through full immersion in the culture. Rather than encountering the basics explicitly in limited contexts, reading this blog, you immediately encounter what may be the most complex and relevant concepts and issues of the field.
All that said, if I had absolutely zero programming knowledge, the blog would be out of reach to me.
One noteworthy feature of the blog from a blogging standpoint is its use of self-referential hyperlinking. In general, I likey, and I can appreciate the intrigue and quirk of Atwood's vague, yet telling, in-stride hyperlink phrasing (e.g. He hyperlinks the phrase “this ugly American programmer.”). But, when I can’t really tell what most of the links lead to, I start to ignore them. He is probably fine with that, and I suppose that, from time to time, a turn of phrase blued into a new context all its own will still strike my fancy.
The entries are a bit long, but they warrant it. He definitely doesn’t seem to be creating too much filler. [I don't feel qualified to rate this blog at this time.]
One of the most-read and most-recommended programming blogs out there is Jeff Atwood's "Coding Horror: programming and human factors."Atwood says he started the blog in 2004 to track software development as he thinks about it. The blog offers keen insight into the actual working world of programming at a professional level that is not restricted to any one programming language or technology. As the title suggests, he illuminates a human side of programming.
He writes, “Computers are fascinating machines, but they're mostly a reflection of the people using them. In the art of software development, studying code isn't enough; you have to study the people behind the software, too.”
Atwood founded Stack Overflow, a programmer employment resource. He is currently developing Discourse, a forum platform. So, true to the purpose of the blog, a lot of the entries have to do with these projects.
As a novice to the field, I find the integrated discourse of an expert both challenging and useful. Kind of like reading literary criticism as an undergraduate, I find the language is rich with contextualized learning opportunities. That is, there is a lot I don’t really understand, but the unfamiliar becomes familiar and understandable through repeated used by masters of the discourse (and a little google-grease as desired).
The subject matter is given life and texture in a social context. You find a substance lending to a deeper quality of understanding—both through the interactive nature of the conversation the author engages in, and, in the case of Coding Horror, through the human element of the subject matter itself.
It is kind of like learning a language through full immersion in the culture. Rather than encountering the basics explicitly in limited contexts, reading this blog, you immediately encounter what may be the most complex and relevant concepts and issues of the field.
All that said, if I had absolutely zero programming knowledge, the blog would be out of reach to me.
One noteworthy feature of the blog from a blogging standpoint is its use of self-referential hyperlinking. In general, I likey, and I can appreciate the intrigue and quirk of Atwood's vague, yet telling, in-stride hyperlink phrasing (e.g. He hyperlinks the phrase “this ugly American programmer.”). But, when I can’t really tell what most of the links lead to, I start to ignore them. He is probably fine with that, and I suppose that, from time to time, a turn of phrase blued into a new context all its own will still strike my fancy.
The entries are a bit long, but they warrant it. He definitely doesn’t seem to be creating too much filler. [I don't feel qualified to rate this blog at this time.]
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