>So, why aren't end-users programming? Is it because
>the tools are badly designed, too hard, don't do what
>people want or because users don't want to be seen to
>be programming?
Here's something to mull over. As each new generation of
programming language is introduced, a career in programming
opens up to a new group of people. Some examples:
Assembler was introduced as an end-user programming tool.
For the first time a highly skilled technician could program
without having to remember the hexadecimal for "ADD".
COBOL and similar languages allow logical, patient people
to program in "sort-of-English": MULTIPLY HOURS-WORKED
BY PAY-RATE GIVING GROSS-PAY. People like me, who
struggle with assembler, can easily understand and write code
like this.
Visual languages are so much easier to use than 3GLs
(anyone remember the horrors of the Windows programmer's
"Toolkit"?)
Each new tool allows more people to become programmers,
but few tools are good enough to allow people to program
*in addition to doing their own job*.
(1) It takes time to find out how the language works.
(2) People able to program will find their skills are in demand.
Dave W Farthing
University of Glamorgan, UK
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first, and call whatever you
hit the target."
