[CoLoCo] Is creating something in flash == programming?

[Jim Hutchinson]

On Tue, Apr 8, 2008 at 12:18 AM, Scott Scriven <ubuntu-us-co at toykeeper.net>
wrote:

> * Jim Hutchinson <jim at ubuntu-rocks.org> wrote:
> > Can anyone clarify Flash's standing in the programming world?
>
> It's somewhere between double-clicking and assembly language.  :)
>
> The definition of programming is pretty loose...  technically,
> any time you tell a computer to do something, you're programming
> it.  Even if you just drag a file icon to a trash icon.
>
> Intuitively, that doesn't feel like capital-P Programming, since
> you're basically just invoking a recipe someone else made.
> There's no effort involved.  It's just filling in the blanks.
> It's like adding hot water to a cup-o-soup and calling it
> cooking.


Great analogy.


> But at some level, you're going to have to rely on the work of
> others as a basis for a program.  You just have to decide which
> ingredients are acceptable, and which are just too
> pre-fabricated.
>
> > both are done in Flash. According to the rules, the code is to
> > be entered "one character at a time on a keyboard" and they
> > can't use an authoring tool.
>
> Would it be out of the question for you to get a copy of the
> source files, and review the textual portions?  You could judge
> the quality of the parts which follow the rules, and mostly
> ignore the rest.  Maybe people could even show you part of the
> process they used to create the programs, so you can see how much
> they created and how much was already there.


I will get the source code. I have the original flash file for one and the
other is to be delivered today. I can bring it to the meeting tonight. Maybe
you would have a chance to look at it and let me know what you think.
Personally, it seems too much like programming with legos to be called
Programming. I've written a couple bash and python scrips which while lame
were still "entering the code from a keyboard one character at a time". The
one animation has about 10 if-then statements to control which frame to go
to and nothing else. I don't think that can be counted for much. I haven't
seen the other code yet.

-- 
Jim (Ubuntu geek extraordinaire)
----
Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html
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