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Boosted by brib@bribstodon.xyz ("brib :neofox_floof: :Nonbinary:"):
suricrasia@lethargic.talkative.fish ("blackle mori") wrote:
@tartley programming to escape complexity is a paradox I've noticed too. it's a paradox because most of programming is developing some model of the world, and the world will always be messy.
for example if you write a concert ticketing system, you are modelling the ways that people interact with these events. not only that, you're modelling their desires. even something as simple as deciding what happens when the venue says "actually we miscounted, there are actually only 100 seats, not 150"—do you kick off anyone who clicked on non-existent seats? make it first-come-first-served? a lottery? cancel all orders and start again?
the beauty/terror of programming is that if you want to make a good model, you have to get down-and-dirty with the complexity. and I think doing so makes us better people. intimate knowledge of the world and its messiness can be scary and uncomfortable, but it is ultimately enriching. it makes us better at empathizing with each other.