Why be a programmer?

이 글은 '부스트코스 코칭스터디 : PY4E 2022'에 참여하여 학습한 것의 기록물입니다.

Computers want to be helpful

• computers are built for one purpose - to do things for us
• But we need to speak their language to describe what we want done
• Users have it easy - someone already put many different programs (instructions) into the computer and users just pick the ones they want to use

Programmers anticipate needs

• iPhone Applications are a market
• iPhone Applications have over 3 billion downloads
• Programmers have left their jobs to be full-time iPhone developers
• Programmers know the ways of the program

Users vs Programmers

• Users see computers as a set of tools - word processor, spreadsheet, map, to-do list, etc.
• Programmers learn the computer “ways” and the computer language
• Programmers have some tools that allow them to build new tools
• Programmers sometimes write tools for lots of users and sometimes programmers write little “helpers” for themselves to automate a task

Why be a programmer?

• To get some task done - we are the user and programmer → clean up survey data
  
• To produce something for others to use - a programming job → Fix a performance problem in the Sakai software → Add gusetbook to a web site
  

Computer Hardware + Software

From a software creator’s point of view, we build the software. The end users are our masters - who we want to please - often they pay us money when they are pleased. But the data, information, and networks are our problem to solve on their behalf. The hardware and software are our friends and allies in this quest.

what is Code? Software? A Program?

• A sequence of stored instructions
  → It is a little piece of our intelligence in the computer
  → We figure something out and then we encode it and then give it to someone else to save them the time and energy of figuring it out
• A piece of creative art
  -> particularly when we do a good job on user experience