Literary Theory looks at Readable Code
summary
Argues that code is human communication and borrows specific literary tools—model reader concept and paratext helps—to make intent explicit; demonstrates with Node.js formatting choices, a hard-coded square vs. random example, and real-world design tradeoffs in RabbitMQ (no immediate flag, two queue implementations later split into lazy queues). Shows tests and compilation give early feedback but miss why decisions exist, and recommends using names, folder structure, data-structure metaphors and docs to transfer the team’s embedded theory.
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chapters (23)
- 0:00Intro
- 0:54MICROSOFT
- 4:36SIX WALKS IN THE FICTIONAL WOODS
- 5:08BEST UNKNOWN PAPER
- 8:18LET'S TALK ABOUT NODEJS
- 11:11CYBERTEXT: PERSPECTIVES ON ERGODIC LITERATURE
- 14:27a difference between writing and programming. is that in programming. the programmer gets feedback very early on whether the program text is executable. during compiling. Furthermore, they get feedback on whether the program is working as intended
- 16:26COMPARE THIS WITH MUSIC INTERPRETATION
- 20:41PROGRAMMING AS THEORY BUILDING
- 20:54...JA PERSON WHO HAS OR POSSESSES A THEORY IN THIS SENSE KNOWS HOW TO DO CERTAIN THINGS AND IN ADDITION CAN SUPPORT THE ACTUAL DOING WITH EXPLANATIONS, JUSTIFICATIONS, AND ANSWERS TO QUERIES ABOUT THE ACTIVITY OF CONCERN
- 24:00THE ENCYCLOPEDIA
- 25:45ABSENCE OF DETAILS
- 33:09TEXTUAL COOPERATION
- 34:41NAPOLEON VS WELLINGTON
- 35:02BOURDIEU & TEXTUAL DEVICES
- 36:48KEEPING PARATEXTS RELEVANT
- 36:59IN DON QUIXOTE, THE ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION FOR CHAPTER X DOESN'T MATCH THE CONTENTS OF THE CHAPTER!
- 38:25HOW TO BUILD THE MODEL READER FOR OUR CODE?
- 38:37CHOOSING THE RIGHT DATA STRUCTURE
- 39:50DATA STRUCTURES HAVE EXPLANATORY POWER
- 42:01CLEAN CODE
- 42:21MODES OF INTERPRETATION
- 42:53LET'S GET CRITICAL
