Fun fact: there are over 600 definitions of the word "run" and over 400 for "set".
But yeah, English is really precise enough for programming.
How many times have we seen that there's been a spec for something and the programmers write something that is exactly like the spec said but was completely wrong?
I found that sea, space and automotive are the three most hostile environments, each with very different requirements that made it hard in different ways.
I can't find it at the moment, but I saw a study where they fed snakes different forms of beef. Raw chunk, raw chopped, raw ground, and cooked versions of the same. And they found the smaller the bits the more calories were available to the snake.
I've read some very bad READMEs. I mean really bad, like not even tell me what the program is for bad. I remember one that forgot to tell me what its own name was.
But really this is basic usability testing. I still run into issue at work where its like "Oh, you need to install C# runtime" or some other thing so it can even start. We have since fixed the build chain to check for that.
I know its hard to step out of your own context but that is what documentation is.
There are over 600 definitions of the work "run" and over 400 for the word "set" and you really expect that some end user in another industry cares what your context is. It's our job to care about their context because they are paying us to solve their problem.
I was in an employment group and a guy who was laid off from Workday joined and he did not at all realize just how bad the product was until he was on the other side.
So much of my time right now is completely rebuilding tutorials that the devs had generated because except for steps like open and save its just wrong and it doesn't work and customers are not going to let that slide.
Restores can be Very exciting. I worked tech support and got trained on an email server backup program. I was alone for my first call on the program.
Before I could finish the greeting I knew it was going to be a wild call as I could hear in the background someone shouting and someone sobbing, the guy actually on the phone sounded like he wasn't planning on making it home that night.
Turned out they were testing out some sync software and after a test they deleted the sync without turning off the app which then did its thing and now nobody could log in except admin who was the only user left.
I was able to find and confirm that the backups were in place and accessible. Which was good, I could hear them breathing again. But I had no way to get the restore going because the source server was so hosed.
Just then the dev walking by and I got him on the call and he did some outright hacker magic to get things to the point that a restore could function.
I thought about writing my notes into a troubleshooting guide but then realized it would be better to skip the hacking and make a setup guide that showed them how to set it up properly in the first place.
I like physical copies as they can't be remotely deleted, altered, or slapped full of ads.
I do enjoy a very limited number of hardcovers from my most favorite stories from my favorite authors. Great for curling up in bed with.
Paperback is fine, even in the trade paperback sizes now. Though some authors like Brandon Sanderson don't make novels but bookzillas, and I've thought more than once of getting used copies to split for easier carrying.
Isn't it like that old story about catching monkeys. You hollow out a gourd with a small hole, tack it to the ground and put a nut in it. The monkey can get its hand in but not out with the nut in their fist. The human can walk over and leisurely whack the monkey because the monkey can't let go.
They act just like drug addicts. More's the pity. They can change but they don't seem to understand that rock bottom is a tough place to be.
It is looking like we are venturing into harder times these new few years for various reasons, as such one has to wonder what things you are still clinging to that can be let go and what is still worth handing on to. Hopefully we don't have to make those choices but it is always handy to keep in mind.
How many times have we seen that there's been a spec for something and the programmers write something that is exactly like the spec said but was completely wrong?
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