
A Meta for Computers - luu
https://notebook.drmaciver.com/posts/2020-06-07-09:33.html
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I find this interesting how natural it comes to use people as a metaphor to
explain programs.

I found sometime ago that i could read an actual code like a prose to someone
who knows nothing about programming if i replace just one word \- "function"
with almost any word for a person - worker, agent, operator etc. (maybe just
not a specific occupation like an actor).

Notice that only in programming you can call a function, and a function can
take and return something. Everywhere else you call a person who can take and
return something and a function is a purpose of someone or something.

This unusual use of the word makes non programmers imagination stumble. And i
found that my imagination also stumbles on it. I know what "function" means in
context of programming but it does not paint a clear picture in my head. Just
like a bad prose.

I think we have a good metaphor for computation hidden by a wrong word.

