http://95.179.246.60/mediawiki/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=%22It_didn%27t_understand%22_can%27t_happen 2026-05-08T12:52:26Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.39.17 http://95.179.246.60/mediawiki/index.php?title=%22It_didn%27t_understand%22_can%27t_happen&diff=56&oldid=prev 2025-05-03T22:40:53Z

<p>imported material</p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div><br /> == It didn&#039;t understand can&#039;t happen ==<br /> <br /> * Imagine ... You are typing in some code, trying to compile it or just run the script and damn, the &#039;&#039;&#039;compiler or interpreter does not like what you wrote&#039;&#039;&#039;. It does not work, the output message is so intricated you don&#039;t understand well why it did not like it. The fact is, it does not run.<br /> * &#039;&#039;&#039;What would you do?&#039;&#039;&#039; Study the language syntax (if you have it) ? Copy the error message on Google? ... Naaa, let&#039;s face it, you would just &#039;&#039;&#039;rephrase&#039;&#039;&#039; your last code block trying to use another idiom you are more sure the compiler will like.<br /> * Still there is always that sense of &#039;&#039;&#039;humiliation&#039;&#039;&#039;, why the hell it does not what to do what I say ?<br /> * If you can&#039;t fix a specific error and just replace code blocks it means &#039;&#039;&#039;you don&#039;t master your programming language&#039;&#039;&#039;. Now ask yourself, how many people really master in full whatever C-like language syntax ? Let me tell you, they are not many. You may have never met one in person.<br /> * In Smalltalk this ugly feeling of will rarely happen, just &#039;&#039;&#039;follow the debugger&#039;&#039;&#039;, inspect the variables, you will find your mistake or you will find a Smalltalk bug (far more improbable).<br /> * In Smalltalk there are no idioms, the language is simple, &#039;&#039;&#039;be the parser&#039;&#039;&#039;, read the code as the computer does, make the AST in your head, it is not so difficult.<br /> * One thing you can&#039;t do, &#039;&#039;&#039;be compiler&#039;&#039;&#039; . This for me is off limits as of today Jan-2022.<br /> * But you can also be another thing, &#039;&#039;&#039;be the evaluator&#039;&#039;&#039;, &#039;&#039;&#039;be the objects&#039;&#039;&#039; ! Think like you are a part of the system and see what you, the human Smalltalk would do.<br /> * If you, the human Smalltalk can do it, it, the silicon Smalltalk can do it and must do it. &#039;&#039;&#039;There can&#039;t be misunderstanding&#039;&#039;&#039;.</div>

Nmingott