“The value of notation lies in how it enables us to work with new abstractions. With more powerful notation, we can work with ideas that would have been too complex or unwieldy without it. Equipped with better notation, we might think of solutions or hypotheses that would have been previously unthinkable. Without Arabic numerals, we don’t have long division. Without chess notation, the best strategies and openings may not have been played. Without a notation for juggling patterns called Siteswap, many new juggling patterns wouldn’t have been invented. I think notation should be judged by its ability to contribute to and represent previously unthinkable, un-expressible thoughts.”
This is pretty much the whole point of programming languages imo
middayc · 8h ago
Cool, this explains that idea of code as a tool for thinking in a really good way. Haven't read the whole post yet.
“The value of notation lies in how it enables us to work with new abstractions. With more powerful notation, we can work with ideas that would have been too complex or unwieldy without it. Equipped with better notation, we might think of solutions or hypotheses that would have been previously unthinkable. Without Arabic numerals, we don’t have long division. Without chess notation, the best strategies and openings may not have been played. Without a notation for juggling patterns called Siteswap, many new juggling patterns wouldn’t have been invented. I think notation should be judged by its ability to contribute to and represent previously unthinkable, un-expressible thoughts.”
This is pretty much the whole point of programming languages imo