[daveguy]

I take it you aren't a programmer.

1) most everyone learns to code with a short demo.

2) short demos for learning to program and understanding concepts are essentially spaghetti free -- the problem is you can't even do the simplest "hello world" in walled app gardens that require elaborate toolkits and permissions.

3) source from the fine article: originally published in Proceedings of the ACM National Conference, Boston (August 1972)

[agumonkey]

> I take it you aren't a programmer.

that burn

If I say I won the putnam does it make a difference ?

ps: thanks for the ACM ref.

[daveguy]

Then maybe you're a programmer that was so gifted you didn't have to learn like the rest of us (with hello world and simple number guessing games). If so, I completely understand why you would have the impression that simple demo code isn't necessary and everyone should just jump right into codin' apps. Sorry for the burn. You should be aware that basic demo code has quite a bit of intrinsic value especially when the users are free to try it out on their own.

[agumonkey]

I think there's a mistake somewhere. I meant to say that in the public eye, old days demos are toys because it was a niche thing compared to today's ubiquitous web and apps that people can relate to and value.

And I was mostly kidding about the burn thing, I just didn't expect it.