I don't know if I would count HTML alone as coding either way, tbh. It's a markup language, not a programming language.
this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2023
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OK
What is markup also?
No. HTML isn't a programming language. It's just a markup language.
There's a Khan Academy thing saying it is
Markup languages like HTML are declarative. That means you use it to describe the result you want but you don’t give it any instructions for how to actually do that. An imperative language is used to actually describe the behavior. Traditional programming languages are imperative. An imperative language is necessary to interpret the HTML and actually display the content in the desired way. You can’t use HTML to accomplish anything by itself. This distinction is why calling HTML a programming language is contentious.
I'm a dumbass
They can say that, but the truth is that it is not.
T-T
From the welcome page
my secret mission with Perchance is to get people interested in coding with a smooth, fun learning-curve
Seems like it worked!
I do web dev on a daily basis, and I tend to think of HTML as "formatted" data.
A database has data in it, but it's in a format of columns and rows, like a spreadsheet.
My application fetches that raw data and uses code to manipulate it - it can inspect it, rewrite it, combine it with other data from other places, validate it against rules - all sorts of stuff.
Since my app is a web app, all that code is designed to use the data formatted in columns and rows from the database, and use it to generate new data in HTML format to send to the browser.
Technically, writing HTML for a browser is a form of programming - it's a set of instructions that tell the browser how to display the data in the HTML. It's not considered programming in a professional* sense, though, as HTML doesn't get, send, change, or process data. Its purpose is as a format for data to be sent and read by something else (the browser).
*professional as in job titles that affect your salary
Hmmm
Just reading the homepage, no, it just looks like a tool. When you use it, you're not a programmer; you're an RPG player or a writer or something. It just looks like programming because you type into a monospace textbox.
You're not making a generator either. The tool itself is already the generator, you just make content packs for it. The result will then be a generator for your content pack.
I guess an analogy could be an industrial harbor which loads ships with containers. Can the harbor say that it made the loaded ships? (yes it can, but people will rise eyebrows.)
Perhaps the generator can be seen as a very high-level programming language, so OP can call themselves a programmer, but I wouldn't go boasting about it.
It's all human readable abstractions for 0s and 1s, isn't it? Unless you're working with quantum computers.
We want to draw the line somewhere, so my mum on FB doesn't call herself a programmer for creating a post, but it's not very clear where to put that line. I think it has to depend on the context, you could tell your hairdresser you're a programmer to avoid the unnecessary details, but wouldn't describe it as such in a job interview.
Usually you draw this line by "locking" a title behind some kind of education or certification. If someone carries this title, then it must mean that they at least have a basic understanding about x skill.
"Programmer" and "developer" aren't protected in any meaningful way, and I'm trying to hammer that into my brain, as I did not really see someone who hosts a template ~~Wordpad~~ Wordpress site as a webdev, or a Python scripter as a programmer (scripting is programming, but programming is much more than scripting, so comparing the two doesn't make much sense to me).
You're making me feel like I'm a dumbass
Not a dumbass, we all have to start somewhere, and the only way to really fail is to stop trying to improve oneself.
That's also what in the oh so olden days set apart the script kiddies from the makers. The script kiddies found some readily available tools and boasted about their skill, while the makers tried to dig into the tools to get a better understanding, and ultimately be able to hack together the tools to better fit their needs. Many makers started out as script kiddies.
People nowadays often get introduced to programming in computer games, such as Minecraft's redstone, and I don't think that perchance is much different.
Next steps would be to find a programming or scripting language and start learning about common syntaxes and logic, perhaps even make your own generator!
I thought it was real programming, I thought I was a programmer AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHUHUHUHHHHHHHH!
I've been stuck on this so call "progamming" skeem for too long! I AM DONE WITH LIFE
If you use it to make software that you or other people can use, it’s programming.
I’m not interested in mediating what “real” programming is, or who gets to call themselves a “real” programmer.
Also, there’s no real difference between “coding” and “programming”, it’s just a different, shorter word for the same activity.
"Programmer" isn't a protected title, so everyone and their grandma can be a programmer. You don't even need any actual experience or knowledge on the topic.
~~Just don't go around calling yourself a "software engineer" or anything like that, as it's a protected title and therefore comes with some prestige, but also means that people expect you to have certain skills.~~
Just don't go around calling yourself a "software engineer" or anything like that, as it's a protected title
Protected where and by whom? Most software engineers aren’t PEs.
I'm not one
Ah, I was wrong. I just checked and it appears that engineer isn't protected per default (as you stated).
I was thinking about "Civilingeniør" (literal translation would be "civil engineer", but that is no faithful translation), which everyone who graduates a MSc. in engineering in Denmark receives, and which is at least protected locally.
Thank you for calling me out.
No worries. We have a similar situation here in nl where “ingenieur” is a protected title, but professional bodies have shown zero interest in policing all the “engineers”.
Ok
It's a fun tool, and to some extend, it feels "programmy". But, also, comparing to HTM, YAML JSON etc, those are just data format that need to be parsed and used by programs, so it is definitely different.
It really is fun