this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2024
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[–] demesisx@infosec.pub 33 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (6 children)

“If you use Python, you should probably just admit to yourself that you don’t actually care about understanding what your program is doing.” Conal Elliot

[–] palordrolap@fedia.io 16 points 2 days ago (5 children)

I'm not going to disagree with this on the grounds that you could replace Python with any language and still be right for a handful of programmers using it.

Relatedly, there are plenty of people who write code in Python who know exactly what they're doing (thus defeating the quote), to the point that an amateur reading that code has literally no idea what's going on. Abstractions upon abstractions. Horrors upon horrors. Likewise this can be done in any language. Try taking apart one of the standard Perl modules (that's written in Perl anyway), for example.

What does concern me is that the only source I can find for this quote is your comment. I can find Conal Elliot and even a suggestion that they have written code in Python (making the quote a self-burn, perhaps), but not the quote itself.

[–] demesisx@infosec.pub 20 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

Conal’s point is that no, in fact there are almost zero programmers that fully understand even the simplest Python code since it is a dynamically typed language.

Here’s where I heard it.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/type-theory-forall/id1546295833?i=1000654070339

[–] palordrolap@fedia.io 16 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Condescending tone was not intended, but on rereading I can see how I've come across that way. Sorry about that.

[–] ComradeMiao@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Love this so much, so much better than reddit

[–] demesisx@infosec.pub 17 points 2 days ago

It’s fine. I’m sure I contributed somewhat o the misreading of the tone too. Namaste, my friend.

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