Post #1770366

2026-01-18 14:30 UTC

Sometimes when I see programming experts trying to help new learners I imagine what would happen if we were a driving school: &quot;The gas pedal makes the car go, right?&quot; &quot;Well, only if the engine is started, and not if you are out of gas, and not if the car is in neutral, and not if the car is parked against a wall, and not if the parking brake is on, and it shouldn&#39;t be called a gas pedal in an electric car, and, and, and....&quot;

Replies (5)

@pamelafox@fosstodon.org 2026-01-18 14:38

@nedbat On the opposite end, that reminds me of when I had a private driving *instructor* when learning to drive, and they made fun of the very technical way that I asked questions, and how I did not understand anything at all about cars. e.g. I asked "what is the default speed limit for driving?" and both the term "default" and the question itself repulsed him. he said i was the dumbest smart person he'd met.

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@feoh@oldbytes.space 2026-01-18 17:59

@nedbat The curse of knowledge is real.

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@jztusk@mastodon.social 2026-01-18 18:03

@nedbat Programming is about understanding computers. Teaching is about understanding people.

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@julian@fietkau.social 2026-01-18 18:35

@nedbat Ha, love it! I'm reminded of a comedy bit about how different patterns of thought are helpful for different jobs. The punchline was that contract lawyers tend to be tedious spouses, since their instinct is to look for loopholes and trap doors in communication. The precision (pedantry?) you're satirizing is awful for human conversation and generally bad for teaching, but it is a big part of being a competent programmer. Maybe the lesson is to think about when to try to “turn it off.”

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@abosio@fosstodon.org 2026-01-18 20:13

@nedbat For sure, but at least for a potential new driver it will be obvious the engine needs to be started and that wall in the way will prevent movement. Whereas nothing may be plainly obvious to a new programmer.

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