01-09-2016, 03:36 AM
I agree with you. People should just use whatever tools they are most comfortable with, because if you're not comfortable then you're not productive. If someone prefers to code in Notepad, good for them. If someone's making a game in Game Maker using drag-and-drop tools, that's fine.
Personally, I like tools that give code completion and can generate stuff. Coding is about constructing a program that does stuff, not about gruntwork. If a tool cuts out the gruntwork by completing words for me, then that means I can write more words in a shorter amount of time. Same goes for if an IDE, for instance, can promote local variables to class members for me. Instead of having to copy-paste, removing declarations etc, I can just use the right-click menu and it does it for me. Renaming is also a feature I could never go without.
That's my opinion, although I do think that most people should use these kinds of IDEs. I always recommending at least trying them because they objectively save time and therefore increase productivity and efficiency. But of course, if they're uncomfortable with it then they shouldn't use it. People should always be comfortable and enjoy coding.
However, anybody who thinks these kind of environments are lazy, and that the "real" way to program is by typing every single character is just, as you said, elitist at best. One could use the same argument to say that programming languages and compilers are lazy, and that you should just write the executable yourself. And not with a hex editor, that's cheating. Type the zeros and ones yourself. Actually, using a keyboard is way too much help. Take out the hard drive and imprint the bits onto the disk with your bare hands
It's like what Carl Sagan said: "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." I'm not going to bother, I may as well use the apples from this universe that already exists.
Personally, I like tools that give code completion and can generate stuff. Coding is about constructing a program that does stuff, not about gruntwork. If a tool cuts out the gruntwork by completing words for me, then that means I can write more words in a shorter amount of time. Same goes for if an IDE, for instance, can promote local variables to class members for me. Instead of having to copy-paste, removing declarations etc, I can just use the right-click menu and it does it for me. Renaming is also a feature I could never go without.
That's my opinion, although I do think that most people should use these kinds of IDEs. I always recommending at least trying them because they objectively save time and therefore increase productivity and efficiency. But of course, if they're uncomfortable with it then they shouldn't use it. People should always be comfortable and enjoy coding.
However, anybody who thinks these kind of environments are lazy, and that the "real" way to program is by typing every single character is just, as you said, elitist at best. One could use the same argument to say that programming languages and compilers are lazy, and that you should just write the executable yourself. And not with a hex editor, that's cheating. Type the zeros and ones yourself. Actually, using a keyboard is way too much help. Take out the hard drive and imprint the bits onto the disk with your bare hands
It's like what Carl Sagan said: "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." I'm not going to bother, I may as well use the apples from this universe that already exists.