A small matter of programming
by Bonnie A. Nardi · first published 1993
17mentions
7recommended by
15HN commenters
2009–2024first – last mentioned
47% recommend53% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Covers end-user programming through the history of spreadsheets, CAD and similar tools, grounded in research on how real users work; useful for readers thinking about how non-programmers can build their own software.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This is called 'End User Development' or 'End user Programming'. There is a book called 'A Small Matter of Programming' by Bonnie Nardi on this, which is worth a read. My point of view is that everyone who wants to do something like this needs to be able of computational thinking and willing to use these tools. Most people…
on “Software will eat software in a remote-first world” ↗…examples of how to do both, it’s hard not to see most computer people as (a) not caring, or (b) being lazy or unskilled, or (c) both." Alan Kay Bonnie Nardi explores the value of this approach in "A Small Matter of Programming: Perspectives on End User Computing"
on “Disrespectful Design – Users aren’t stupid or lazy” ↗…spreadsheet can still be improved. Macros can help a lot with this, but there are a myriad of other ways you could improve upon excel that gives a smooth transition from "casual user" to "power user". Read "A Small Matter of Programming"[0] for more! [0] http://www.amazon.com/Small-Matter-Programming-Perspectives-...
on “The Future of Excel” ↗"A Small Matter of Programming" by Bonnie Nardi is an excellent book which delves into the history of end-user programming. Spreadsheets, CAD and so on, all based on researching users.
on “Software eats software development” ↗…puzzled looks and "Even if it's possible, it's still a lot of work. I just don't see that as the typical consumer behavior." It is a lot of work to produce a book. Some relevant background: Bonnie Nardi, A Small Matter of Programming.
on “Malleable Software in the Age of LLMs (2023)” ↗…Systems, who made a Python/.Net spreadsheet back in the '00s: http://www.prweb.com/releases/spreadsheet/competition/prweb1... I thought it was a good idea at the time, especially after having read "A Small Matter of Programming" which makes the case that spreadsheets are one of the very few successful end-user programming systems (the other being CAD): https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/small-matter-programming
on “Excel team considering Python as scripting language: asking for feedback” ↗…programmer can’t even get a simple turnkey CRUD app right, what chance of them delivering a tool that successfully hands those keys to its users? .. Go read the “Collaborative Work Practices” chapter of “A Small Matter of Programming: Perspectives on End User Computing” by Bonnie A Nardie that describes how basic users, expert users, and trained developers can develop their own software tools together, where each layer supports and…
on “Problems with DSLs for non-programmers” ↗…incredibly intuitive UI to put in front of users that have the domain knowledge but not necessarily direct software engineering knowledge. I've been thinking about this for years, ever since I first read "A Small Matter of Programming" by Bonnie Nardi: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/small-matter-programming where she explored the history of end-user programming systems, and concludes that spreadsheet and CAD software are the only examples…
on “The First Rule of Microsoft Excel: Don’t Tell Anyone You’re Good at It” ↗By a strange coincidence I just happened to be reading http://www.vpri.org/pdf/sci_amer_article.pdf when I spotted this thread on another tab. I found it after reading this quote from "A small matter of programming": Kay's colleagues have created a simulation construction kit for children so they can build their own simulations. The construction kit lets children write simple scripts that model animal behavior.…
on “Automation Should Be Like Iron Man, Not Ultron” ↗In the book "A Small Matter of Programming"[0] (1993), Bonnie A. Nardi makes the case that there are really only two successful end user programming systems - spreadsheets and CAD. I think that's just as true today, at least as far as business…
on “Stop Using Excel, Finance Chiefs Tell Staffs” ↗Some of the stuff in PEP8 is pretty subjective. What's the state of play for fixing that with an automated tool? Does is spit out advisories, or has some effort been put into the Small Matter Of Programming of interpreting the intent of code? I presume nothing can be done about x += 1 # increment x
on “Python coding standards” ↗This next Saturday (Dec 10) at 10am at HanaHaus in Palo Alto, we'll have a special meeting of 2020 with two presentations: Andrey Fedorov: "A Small Matter of Programming: Then And Now" David Broderick: "Text Is For Novels: Programming In Data, Not Text"
on “Show HN: 2020: New Ideas in Programming” ↗…database. I have yet to see anyone make even a concerted effort on the first step, instead skipping to the second part of the last step, probably because that appears, at first glance, to require only a Small Matter Of Programming.
on “How do you scale your web application?” ↗Is this even true? I know some folks who have (or had) trouble programming a VCR, but most didn't. So, aside from amusing anecdotal evidence, on what is this claim based? The book A Small Matter of Programming suggests that people adapt quite readily to assorted complex systems (e.g. knitting patterns, baseball box scores) given a proper context. This is not to argue for complexity, but that people will raise…
on “The 37signals Manifesto (original site from 1999)” ↗I understood where you're coming from. Unfortunately, tax increases for any library services can be a hard sell. Mainly, I just wanted to point out that it's a quintessential "Small Matter of Programming" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_matter_of_programming) issue in library policy, and people who have never worked for a library can easily underestimate the difficulty. My response was a bit over-bristly,…
on “Ditch Starbucks and work at the library” ↗