ReKisstory creator
Behind the Scene: Coding
4 min to read
Programming Scares Me
ReKisstory is developed by a person who did not know how to code until 5 years ago. It is probably not superbly coded, if I ask software engineers, but I am proud that I managed to develop everything alone from scratch. Learning curve was not always steep though. There are so many "languages" and "tools" needed in the production line. I had known Python and other basics, but the learning consists of new Python techniques, and framework Flask and Jinja, to JavaScript libraries, and Tailwind CSS, as well as GitHub, UNIX, and Docker. It is overwehlming if you do not know. So many documentations to consult. So many Googling or ChatGPTing to find answers. It is sometimes hard to know where to start.
On the positive side, I have learned a lot. The problem is our technology gets more sophisticad over time, but also it gets more complicated for us too. In a conventional way, you cannot do it with just one programming language (although I have read that it is nowadays trendy to generate a modern website without coding with or without a help of AI). You need to write small algorithms to develop a software, but you need to know how to use a software to do so. That sounds stupid, but it is like that. Actually, whether it is good or bad, that is the technology chain we are bounded to. Dependencies are our lifeline.
Anyway, you then need to know how to update your code, test it, and put it on the web. You also need to learn how to access and obtain data. You need to learn how to organise and store it. Moreover, you study how to design the look of the software. Further, you need to know how to detect all the possible errors and fix them. The list is almost endless. Learning one thing always leads to learning another. In other words, the knowlege of full-stuck developers is needed. But, there is no perfect full-stuck: Not everybody knows every single software and technique
No Coding and You?
Nowadays you can choose two ways to build websites or apps. One is to use a no-coding software. It will produce a web app by just selecting building blocks of designs and functions with parameters. Graphical Interface is probably more user-friendly for beginners. It is like doing a little complicated LEGO. I was recently shocked with its capability when using it (although I started to get a headache with so many options and parameters and to remember how to change a little thing). They do a pretty descent job.
The other is to learn coding. Like I said above, in the beginning, it is daunting. There are many programming languages to choose from like Java, Python, C, PHP, and R. Instead of LEGO of no-coding, you do model building. While you can start a LEGO almost without learning, model building needs time for learning. In my view, it is more specialized, customisable, and detailed than LEGO.
I have a friend who is more toward the former. He creates very nice apps with the non-coding software. He estimates the time needed and decides which is more suitable. I think it a good idea. No-coding software is pretty efficient if you know how to use it. But, the learning curve is still unavoidable, just like you learn how to use a new smart phone. On the other hand, a good thing about traditional coding is you feel you are building something on your own. Even if you develop something simple, craftmanship is the feeling you experience. As you can decide everything, there is more freedom. In addition, the born baby may be prettier than the one from no-coding.
So, my personal recommendation is to learn at least the basic of traditional coding, even if you go for no-coding. That will give you a habit of logical thinking. It will become useful in any situations in the future, not necessarily for informatics. Once you learn coding, non-coding is easier to understand and learn. Like my friend, you can assess which approach is closer to your goal in the end. If you know how to start either way, it is probably the best in terms of flexibility.
Machine Learning and Human Learning
By the way, one of the risks of AI is that it takes all jobs from humans. I am not too worried about that, because there would be always something to do in our society. No matter how good or crap it is. What I would worry more is the loss of learning sentiment. As machines learn a lot and much faster than humans, we might feel unnecesasry to learn something by themselves. In terms of processing and storage capacity, we lost the battle long time ago. Singularity is half done. Now, do we want to give up learning too?
My personal experience is that I am losing my abaility to write Japanese on paper. What Japanease do with an English keyboard is to type a phonetic representation of Japanese characters. Then, computer suggests candidate characters which share the same phoetic, we only need to select the one for the intended semantic. (By the way, why are user interfaces still so English oriented after a half century of history). If you repeat this practice a hundred times, you remember vaguely how a character looks like, but no longer remember precisely how to write it. In expense of computer literacy, I am losing writing competence. What evey child in Japan learns at school could become easily extinct. This is sad.
The technology allows me to do one thing better, but pushes me not to do another thing. It is like many people started to drive a car, but fewer people can ride on a horse after the turn of the 20th century. At least, I try to keep my writing skills alive, as long as I have a chance. In any case, whatever you choose, I would suggest not to leave everything with AI, and try to Do It Yourself. It would not be good if human beings stop learning, because learning is what defines humans, in my opinion.
"I believe that every human being with a physically normal brain can learn a great deal and can be surprisingly intellectual. I believe that what we badly need is social approval of learning and social rewards for learning. We can all be members of the intellectual elite and then, and only then, will a phrase like "America's right to know" and, indeed, any true concept of democracy, have any meaning."
Isaac Asimov
Source: Wikipedia