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Type checking is a symptom, not a solution

(programmingsimplicity.substack.com)
67 points mpweiher | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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jameshart ◴[] No.45142572[source]
All programmers need to try assembly programming just once.

Just a program counter, a stack, a flat addressable block of memory, and some registers.

You’ll very quickly learn how hard it is to program when you have complete responsibility for making sure that the state of the system is exactly as expected before a routine is called, and that it’s restored on return.

Every language tool we’ve built on top of that is to help programmers keep track of what data they stored where, what state things should be in before particular bits of code are run, and making it harder to make dumb mistakes like running some code that will only work on data of one sort on data of a totally different structure.

Of course types are a solution. You just have no idea what the problem was.

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1. xlii ◴[] No.45143718[source]
And I'll recommend Turing Complete game on Steam if someone wants to have full journey.

It's a puzzle focused on creating electronic components (with the goal of creating a running computer). Since it's more educational than competitive it's rather smooth journey.

But in the end there's not only assembler but there are actual electrons in the system that take time to reach CPU. It took me 2-3 days to finish during Holiday period and it made me much more aware of what is happening under the hood.