Difference between revisions of "Class Journal Week 4"

Revision as of 17:35, 28 September 2015

Nicole Anguiano

1. Based on what you read here, would you consider sed to be a language? Why or why not?
   • I wouldn't consider sed so much a language as much as it is a function in Bash. Sed takes in an input and gives an output depending on what parameters you've given it. It allows certain parameters and will error on incorrect parameters. Outputs from sed can be fed as an input into another sed. In thus, it seems to act to me more like a function of a language than a language itself. Sed cannot really be used to do much else other than text conversion - replacing a characters or series of characters with other characters, and editing a file. A programming language can allow the user to perform a wide variety of operations on many different inputs, using different methods and functions.
2. Of the languages that are skimmed in these sections, which one (in the brief exposure this article gives) appeals to you the most, and why? (yes, we are also expecting the biology majors to answer this—no obligation to fully understand the languages nor examples; just share what you like about what you see)
   • While my first reaction was to answer this question with "Javascript", on further inspection, I think that Python appeals to me the most. While I am very comfortable with Javascript and know it well, Python appeals to me as a language due to its use in many systems and its potential to be used in many applications, both web and otherwise. The fact that Python can serve as a wrapper for other languages also intrigues me, as it indicates a depth to the language that I haven't observed in other languages that I've explored.
3. Would you agree that coders are “angry?” Are biologists “angry” too? Why do you think so? (quid pro quo—computer scientists should answer this also, to the degree that you know biology and biologists)
   • I would agree that coders are angry, as are biologists. I think that some of the anger comes from the natural human tendency to want everyone to think in the same way that they do. This is especially relevant for coders, who tend to be very vocal about the languages they like and dislike, regardless of whether or not their claims are true. However, I would agree with the claim that programmers are angry because they are scared. Computer science as a field is constantly shifting, and languages that are king one day could be obsolete the next. It requires the programmer to always be on top of the newest developments in computer science - the newest languages, tools, and systems. While for some this is exciting and part of the draw of computer science, for other it is something that brings about anger. While I tend to fall into the former group, I can understand why it would be a cause for fear and anger. I know there are languages I am proficient in now that may be useless to my career in the future, regardless of how much I enjoy the language.
   • For this same reason, I would say biologists are angry. A biologist can dedicate years to researching something that may result in no discoveries worth noting. A biologist can spend a long time perfecting a technique, only to have it replaced by something else. Biology is a field that is also changing and growing all the time. New discoveries can make in-process research projects obsolete. Theories considered true for a very long time can be disproven at any time. Though some may find excitement in this change, others may not. I think it is a natural human reaction to fear change, and to develop anger towards that change. Since computer science and biology are frequently changing, I can fully understand why both computer scientists and biologists may be angry.

- Nanguiano (talk) 14:31, 22 September 2015 (PDT)

Emily Simso

1. Based on what you read here, would you consider sed to be a language? Why or why not?
   • I think I would consider "sed" to be a form of a language, though a rather rudimentary one, because it still takes a certain level of knowledge and understanding to realize what sed is able to do and perform. While there are clearly more advanced and technical languages available, I think sed is a sort of introductory language, especially for someone new to the command line.
2. Of the languages that are skimmed in these sections, which one (in the brief exposure this article gives) appeals to you the most, and why? (yes, we are also expecting the biology majors to answer this—no obligation to fully understand the languages nor examples; just share what you like about what you see)
   • I think I like Python the most because it seems the most applicable. Since it has the pre-loaded modules, a user could manipulate Python for a variety of situations and fields. I think Python also seems to be fairly user friendly, so that a beginning programmer could still be very effective in their projects. It also seemed interesting to me to think of how coding can be used in these different areas.
3. Would you agree that coders are “angry?” Are biologists “angry” too? Why do you think so? (quid pro quo—computer scientists should answer this also, to the degree that you know biology and biologists)
   • I would agree that colors are angry, because there are not only so many languages to choose from currently, but a new one could appear at any time to disrupt the current flow. Since the industry is so fast past and based upon a short-attention span mindset, it would be frustrating constantly juggle the changes. It seems that a lot of work is done based upon personal preference for one language or another, meaning that things could get problematic if someone takes offense at another individual's comments. It was also be difficult to work between all of the different languages and "interpret" what other people are saying or working on.
   • I would also say that biologists are angry, because there are so many different specialties in biology, but everyone thinks theirs is the most important. Similarly, an individual can spend years researching a topic, but then new technology can emerge that makes their findings either obsolete, or that could have found the same answer in a shorter time frame. Biologists might also be angry because the field is constantly changing and there is so much new information coming in all the time; it makes it difficult to get a firm grasp on a concept or area of study.

Emilysimso (talk) 15:40, 26 September 2015 (PDT)

Brandon Klein

1. Based on what you read here, would you consider sed to be a language? Why or why not?
   • emulates some of the fundamentals of languages as described in the article
     • could be considered as having a standards library and not only a specific syntax but a feel
   • however, I do not believe it stands alone as a language
     • sed is a command present within a specific language
     • sed itself only offers one variation on the theme; it is a part that is representative of the whole (synecdoche?), but note entirely
2. Of the languages that are skimmed in these sections, which one (in the brief exposure this article gives) appeals to you the most, and why? (yes, we are also expecting the biology majors to answer this—no obligation to fully understand the languages nor examples; just share what you like about what you see)
   • contenders:
     • C: powerful, rewards a meticulous mindset, works and is used across all servers, foundation of unix, seen as foundational knowledge for serious programmers, has many more specific derivations
     • Python: user-friendly, versatile, quickly growing; the article claims languages emulate culture, and python is the culture being embraced by the U.S.
3. Would you agree that coders are “angry?” Are biologists “angry” too? Why do you think so? (quid pro quo—computer scientists should answer this also, to the degree that you know biology and biologists)
   • Both coders and biologists share a certain superficial anger. This is a response to the volatile nature of their fields. As the article suggests, it is often a defensive response. Individuals want to validate their language proficiency, or area of research. However, these fields could be changed at any time by the work of another, and all of this knowledge could be invalidated. Although this comes off as anger, it is also a product of passion. Only because individuals want to defend and validate that which they are personally passionate about within their fields do they get angry.

--Bklein7 (talk) 19:53, 27 September 2015 (PDT)

Anu Varshneya

1. Based on what you read here, would you consider sed to be a language? Why or why not?
2. Of the languages that are skimmed in these sections, which one (in the brief exposure this article gives) appeals to you the most, and why? (yes, we are also expecting the biology majors to answer this—no obligation to fully understand the languages nor examples; just share what you like about what you see)
3. Would you agree that coders are “angry?” Are biologists “angry” too? Why do you think so? (quid pro quo—computer scientists should answer this also, to the degree that you know biology and biologists)