[currymj]

some responsible yet still "serious" uses would include:

1) throwaway code where the "work product" is not a software system, but rather the outputs of the code which you can verify yourself.

the classic example for me is producing plots. I can easily verify that data is loaded correctly, and that the end result is correct, I just don't want to learn the complex API to make all the ticks and colors and fonts look perfect.

2) prototypes, mockups

3) simple tools (often with a web interface) for your own use

[9rx]

> 2) prototypes, mockups

Any time I have taken shortcuts because "it's just a prototype" I have always come to regret it later. This may not be the "serious" use that it initially feels like.

[mentalgear]

> prototypes

Only there exist no prototypes, in the sense of throwaway. Prototypes become the product, as rarely something is really build up again from the ground to account for best setup.

[currymj]

I agree this is true (for mainly political/interpersonal reasons) if you’re writing code inside a typical software engineering organization, which orients itself to producing software products.

But lots of people write computer programs outside such contexts. Then it’s perfectly possible to prototype something and actually rewrite the full version.