Not supporting end-users is a “kiss of death” for a VPL?
(Review question from VL/HCC 2006) This is getting things totally the wrong way around. End-user/novice programming is the niche, whilst programming is the mainstream activity. Usually the only thing an end-user wants to program is his or her video recorder. This is just the classic power-struggle between programmers and their managers. Managers feel threatened by maverick programmers and therefore constantly try to control and undermine programmers. COBOL was the first attempt to replace programmers. It failed because programming is a specialist skill. Luckily, software practices have improved and programmers and managers can coexist much more happily. We live in a world of specialists, and I do not feel threatened by that. The reality is that there is a spectrum of programming languages, from easy to hard. Generally, scripting languages are considered easier and more productive, and are the more appropriate for “end-users”. Visula is definitely at the easy end of the scale with its u
