u/raiphin r/ProgrammingLanguages • Recommends
The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages - SXSW 2017
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The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages - SXSW
Vulk Coop
836 subscribers • 1 video on Hallway
- Recommended by 8 people: 6 on Hacker News, 1 on Lobsters and 1 in engineering communities.
- A classic. People kept recommending it from 2019 to 2024.
- Presented by W Watson
- An opinion. It argues one side of a question engineers disagree on.
Intermediate. Assumes working knowledge.
27K views9 years ago8 recommendations
Programming languagesTools and practiceLanguage design and type systemsThe tech industry
W Watson uses Lacanian psychoanalysis to critique popular programming languages and explain why developers choose and defend them for emotional reasons.
What is the right programming language for you? Traditionally programming languages are created to concisely model a specific problem, or to maximize expression while solving a broad range of problems. Psychoanalysts have noted that many decisions we make as humans are not based on rational premises, but rather are based on fears and desires that stem from upbringing and our societal ideologies. Watson uses the psychoanalysis of Lacan and Zizek to critique the most popular and trendy programming languages in order to determine if there are ulterior motives for the origins of these languages and how they fit into our everyday libidinal economy.You can find the audio for talk here: bit.ly/2o2tWQD The presentation is here: bit.ly/2c6Hfcg The extended paper with references is here: bit.ly/2ndx9siWhy it's here
8 people recommend thisWhat people say. Recommended as an eye-opening and entertaining psychoanalytic critique of why programmers passionately defend or hate specific programming languages.
qu4kuon Hacker News • Recommends
On “A look at modern PHP”
If you want to know why-the-hate watch this1 talk — one of the best and eye-opening talks I've ever heard. It has nothing to do with the language itself and everything to do with the user of the language. 1 The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages link to this video
geocaron Lobsters • Recommends
The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages
chickenfrieson Hacker News • Recommends
On “IBM releases Elm-powered app”
I literally have never experienced a bug because of the existence of Math.random(). I don’t think I’ve ever used it outside of a coding interview. Similarly, I don’t spend time debugging runtime errors caused by document.querySelector()? If I do it’s usually only once when I write the initial query. I don’t understand your last argument: why would I divide by 0? Everyone’s relationship to their tools of choice has an emotional component. Check out this talk, you might find it interesting: “The Pervert’s Guide To Programming Languages” link to this video
DonHopkinson Hacker News • Recommends
On “Buttplug: An open-source software suite for teledildonics”
Hi Kyle: I did know the answer but I just had to ask! ;) Come drop in on the epic Emacs -vs- VI battle going on in the Bill Joy thread. VI can't hold a candle to Emacs when it comes to teledildonics. You testimony might be able to convince a few lost souls to cross over. Emacs is ALWAYS in insert mode. The way you insightfully psychoanalyzed the personalities of programmers of different languages in your deldo demo suggests to me that you might enjoy W Watson's "The Pervert's Guide to Programming Languages": link link to this video link
joluxon Hacker News • Recommends
On “Go proposal: new package to provide generic slice functions”
I don’t think masochism is inherently negative and I did not mean to insult. For that I apologize. I was trying to characterize in a humorous fashion a difference between what I perceive to be the stated aims of the language and the experience of actually writing it. It was also an oblique reference to this talk which is one of my favorites: link to this video
mwattsunon Hacker News • Recommends
On “Wrapping Up 2021. Leaving C++”
…diately came to mind. It's a bit of an elaborate tongue-in-cheek joke, but I found it personally helpful for thinking about why a choose a language. Pervert in this context does not mean sexual deviancy. In the Lacanian sense, a pervert is a person who enjoys being a vessel of the rules. The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages - SXSW link to this video The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages Psychoanalysis and Software What are the issues with selecting a programming language? • Which programming language should we choose? - Just saying: 'use the right tool for the job' begs the question • Why are there over 1000 programming languages? • How do we critique a programming lang…
jimwhite42on Hacker News • Recommends
On “"No way to prevent this" say users of only language where this regularly happens”
Here's an attempt to explaining the irrational part of programmers deciding which programming language to use. Part of it goes into more detail on ideas like C programmers insisting 'on the danger because they cannot stand the possibility of the danger being taken away from them'. "The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages" link to this video It's pretty out there, but I thought also interesting.
u/bruciferNomsu.orgin r/ProgrammingLanguages • Mentions
On “Language wars: the personal factor”
I really enjoyed the talk The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages, which is a Slavoj Zizek-inspired approach to looking at the psychological factors that drive people to prefer one language over another. The speaker describes it as something closer to a fetish than something like an objective assessment of language benefits and drawbacks. In other words, the reason one person likes language A and another likes language B is not because they've come to different conclusions in a logical process, but rather because person A has a fetish for elaborate type systems and person B has a fetish for programming close to the metal, etc. It's a great talk, well worth a watch!
mettamageon Hacker News • Mentions
On “The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages (2017) [video]”
…nalists? What I did: see them as entertaining inspiration for philosophical thoughts. But you can also skip to his section "why psychoanalysis" 1. I wasn't impressed. Also, those bullets are questionable. So beware: in my opinion, this talk is not precise in terms of scientific accuracy, but it might be fun to use as an inspirational source. 1 link to this video…
DonHopkinson Hacker News • Mentions
On “I’ve Consed Every Pair”
To its credit, Clojure is also a Sadistic Perversion Language that "Injects itself into the corporate scene, then subverts from within." link link to this video link
DonHopkinson Hacker News • Mentions
On “History of Logo”
Hey, how about throwing in a perverted, fetishistic, masochistic programming language like FORTH, too? ;) Where do you think Logo and Snap fit into the three basic mental structures of psychosis, perversion, and neurosis, as W Watson describes in "The Pervert's Guide to Programming Languages"? link link to this video link I have hope that Snap! has transcended the self-indulgent Turing Tarpit of Melancholy Languages like Scheme, Lisp (which spawned Scheme during a hysterical event), Smalltalk, and languages that never were, as described on the penultimate page. ;) Snap! strikes me more as a Hysterical language, frantically pursuing the object of desire, in pursuit of the perfect syntax. >Hysterical…
7373737373on Hacker News • Mentions
On “Extremist Programming (2012)”
See also 'The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages', specifically the "Fetishistic Languages" part: link to this video
digganon Hacker News • Mentions
On “Python vs Common Lisp, workflow and ecosystem (2019)”
> There are some famous examples As someone new to the ecosystem of Common Lisp and in general a bit sadist (ref link to this video ), could you share which ones these are so I can enjoy not understanding them at all? Edit: I see now after I made my comment you added examples, thanks :)
m3047on Hacker News • Mentions
On “Java’s Cultural Problem”
I haven't programmed in Java in many years, except for making DAGs for Storm and a authorization metalibrary that none of the "real" Java programmers liked. Paradoxically the most sccinct statement of dislike concerned my choice of arraylike class: "THAT'S WRONG!". The Java programmers had source control, just like the rest of us. But their Maven configs weren't under source control, and they wouldn't help the rest of us with ours. I've concluded that I'm indifferent to Java, but not so good with Java programmers. There's a big ball of puzzling contradictions in the above. Have you heard of Lacan or Zizek? Well. Poetically speaking, I'll paraphrase Tom Lehrer and opine that "Java programmers…
m3047on Hacker News • Mentions
On “Reversing the fossilization of computer science conferences”
_The Pervert's (Lacanism) Guide to Computer Languages_: link to this video or if you're old school or your father was a shrink you could use the Leary Wheel from his _Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality_. That would change the dynamic. Some might object: "psychohistory!" What are we doing here anyway? And, what are we meant to be doing? Where is the "philosophy of computer science"?