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We will show how new approaches to language design create a better programming community. Traditionally, programming communities have been dominated by a certain type. Programmers tend to be analytical thinkers who don't mind banging their heads against errors all day long. New, more inclusive languages make programming attractive to a wider audience who wouldn't normally have considered it (and don't particularly enjoy error messages). In this talk we will share our learnings from designing a programming language for kids. We'll talk about the tradeoffs between simplicity and power and how we found the optimal balance for our audience. We hope others can learn from our design principles to create more languages and platforms to bring the joy of programming to everybody. Help us caption & translate this video! http://amara.org/v/FGYt/
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The video titled "Designing a Better Programmer Community" features speakers Samantha John and Jason Brennan, who discuss their experiences in creating a programming language designed specifically for kids through their company Hopscotch. The talk emphasizes how new approaches to language design can foster a more inclusive programming community. Here are the key points discussed in the video: - **Identifying Community Membership**: John highlights the importance of recognizing who is included in the programming community. Traditionally, programming has been seen as a domain for a homogeneous group, primarily white males. Hopscotch aims to diversify by creating tools that appeal to a wider audience, ensuring female-friendly themes and showcasing diverse projects in their platform. - **Accessibility for Beginners**: The second point emphasizes the need for programming environments to be user-friendly for beginners while still being robust enough for experienced users. Hopscotch simplifies programming by eliminating the complexities often found in traditional coding, which can be intimidating for newcomers. - **Solid Mental Models**: A solid mental model is crucial for users' understanding of programming. John refers to Seymour Papert's book "Mindstorms," pointing out how digital characters, like the turtle in the Logo programming environment, can help children visualize and grasp programming concepts more effectively. This connection fosters a deeper understanding of programming logic. - **Inclusive Programming Languages**: The final lesson is that programming languages should be designed to be accessible, requiring no formal education or high-level expertise. The speakers encourage others to create languages that help people express their ideas, noting their own experiences with various programming languages like Objective-C, Ruby, and JavaScript. In conclusion, John and Brennan assert that to create a more diverse programming community, various perspectives must be embraced. They advocate for involving people from different backgrounds, as this diversity in thought can lead to programming languages that resonate with a broader audience. They encourage viewers to engage in creating new programming languages themselves, ensuring innovation and inclusivity within the industry. The overarching takeaway is the importance of inclusivity and accessibility in programming to enrich the community and support new learners.
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