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by btilly
2748 days ago
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It isn't that simple. A lot of what compilers catch are careless errors like mistyped variable names and missing semi-colons. This is not fundamental understanding of the code. This is a level of care that it is perfectly fine to let your toolchain handle for you. A more interesting case is type checking. One of the reasons to use static type checking is that you are free to change the type of a variable or argument to a function, and then let your compiler tell you what needs to be fixed. Each individual fix is straightforward and easy - you understand it. But thanks to the toolchain you don't have to find them. Choosing to work with dynamic typing and exercise vigilance is a reasonable choice. (In fact this is what I choose.)
Choosing to work with static typing and let the toolchain help you in ways that it was designed to help is a reasonable choice. But choosing to work with static typing and refusing to take advantage of how it lets a toolchain help you is not a choice that makes sense to me. That you should know how to operate without the tools is one thing - I strongly support it. But maintaining your practice in doing so is quite another. |
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The biggest chunk of my professional work is still in Smalltalk.
But choosing to work with static typing and refusing to take advantage of how it lets a toolchain help you is not a choice that makes sense to me.
Yet despite being a Smalltalker for years, I'm still an advocate of static type annotation. It enables you to do more refactoring than not having it. It enables you to know sooner about incorrectly written code.
That you should know how to operate without the tools is one thing - I strongly support it. But maintaining your practice in doing so is quite another.
The "maintaining your practice" I'm advocating in this thread is merely: "Code without an IDE once in awhile to make sure you know how to operate without the tools." You don't have to fire drill every day. There is some benefit to doing it once in awhile, however.
I'm not advocating not using an IDE. I'm merely advocating for knowing exactly what it is the IDE is doing for you and doing to you. It's just wise practice for any professional power tool.