@publius @mhoye The thing is though that rust has fixed...

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The thing is though that rust has fixed that problem. And it is a language pitched as an alternative to C++ so it very complex. Also python is doing a lot of work to solve and it is another complex language.

The thing is the tech community hasn't bothered to write good errors or documentation in the majority of projects. Because if we make it too easy the wrong people will get in. (Actual argument i have heard), or they are so out of touch with people actually using computers that they think the error is obvious (?!). (Usually for gatekeeping and superiority complexes).

My point is AI cant fix the reason we don't have good errors or docs. Because the reasons are social. We could have good errors or docs without it.

Like 2 Nov 2023 at 7:58 | Wall-to-wall | Open on tilde.zone

3 comments

publius

@msavoritias @mhoye

"Rust has fixed that problem" ― in what way, and for whom?

As someone who very occasionally writes computer programs when needed to solve a problem (I wrote a very useful one in Motorola 68000 assembly, that time), I've seen a lot of discussion about Rust, none of which seemed to address that question.

Also I've seen suggestions that it's often necessary to call some kind of "foreign function interface", in which case, why not program in the target language instead?

2 Nov 2023 at 16:35 | Open on mastodon.sdf.org

mhoye

@publius @msavoritias

The Foreign Function Interface situation is best understood, I think - thank you, @Gankra ! - by reading this: https://gankra.github.io/blah/c-isnt-a-language/

... but more generally Rust gives you a set of guardrails that obviate entire classes of sometimes sec-critical errors, and the error messages they give you during the development process are just generally wildy more helpful and humane than you see in most other languages.

2 Nov 2023 at 16:55 | Open on mastodon.social

MSavoritias

@mhoye @publius @Gankra

Yeah pretty much. Rust has managed to give better error results without AI or whatever.
Because people actually had the culture to do it.
So the question is can the culture be changed in other languages too so it favors understanding and newbies instead of esoteric knowledge?

2 Nov 2023 at 17:27 | Open on tilde.zone