2014-06-29 18:43 GMT+04:00 Aapo Vienamo <aapo.vienamo_AT_iki.fi>:
>> 2. Fantastic syntax highlighting
> This may be considered harmfull in general. [0]
> [0] http://www.linusakesson.net/programming/syntaxhighlighting/
Hello,
This snippet of thought makes a case that reading code is like reading
a literature, when in fact, surprise, it is not.
You can literally replace his arguments against syntax highlighting
with arguments against alignment in tabular data,
because reading a literature with alignment will prove to be
difficult. Or that you don't need indentation because it makes
you focus on parsing tree rather than semantics, if we're taking it
closer to the programming world.
The ridiculousness of a comparison would be more apparent if, instead
of coloring verbs in text (which I personally
do not consider keywords, verbs are operators; the program text is not
very saturated with keywords, and those serve
more as headings), it indeed did compare a snippet with and without
highlighting.
Quote:
> Syntax errors will be found by the compiler anyway; the developers shouldn't waste time looking for them.
The point of syntax highlighting is that you don't have to waste time
looking for them, as they become apparent;
indeed, you also don't need to spend time compiling it and reading
what the compiler spew forthh at you in response.
This statement would be like saying that spellcheckers are useless
because correctors are there to fix typos in a draft.
Then, having falsibly dismissed syntax highlighting for experienced
programmers, the author goes on to suggest that
it is a handicap to... uh, what exactly? Learning all 20 keywords in a language?
Quote:
> They will have to, eventually, and then they will have to un-learn the colours.
Obviously, syntax highlighting isn't crucial for understanding code,
indeed, it often doesn't even distinguish between keywords.
So the analogy falls flat: you don't have to unlearn the colors to
learn the names, you know the names already.
This is especially strange, because author apparently understands that
typos are important to detect.
The desire of some people even in spheres that are supposedly
technologically advanced to go all "I'm better than you because I
don't
NEED your newfangled this and that" is frightening.
--
Peace,
Alexander Sedov.
Received on Wed Jul 02 2014 - 07:39:20 CEST