The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages - SXSW
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN recommends it as an entertaining and eye-opening look at the irrational psychology behind language preferences, though some note it is not scientifically precise.
What it is
A SXSW talk by W Watson that uses Lacanian psychoanalysis, with nods to Zizek, to critique popular programming languages. It argues that people choose and defend languages for emotional and ideological reasons rather than rational ones.
Recommended by 6 HN commenters across 5 different months, 2019 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec qu4ku · 2020-05 · on “A look at modern PHP”
If you want to know why-the-hate watch this[1] talk — one of the best and eye-opening talks I've ever heard. It has nothing to do with the language itself and everything to do with the user of the language. [1] The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages [this video]
Recommends chickenfries · 2019-01 · on “IBM releases Elm-powered app”
I literally have never experienced a bug because of the existence of Math.random(). I don’t think I’ve ever used it outside of a coding interview. Similarly, I don’t spend time debugging runtime errors caused by document.querySelector()? If I do it’s usually only once when I write the initial query. I don’t understand your last argument: why would I divide by 0? Everyone’s relationship to their tools of choice has an emotional component. Check out this talk, you might find it interesting: “The Pervert’s Guide To Programming Languages” [this video]
Recommends DonHopkins · 2020-05 · on “Buttplug: An open-source software suite for teledildonics”
Hi Kyle: I did know the answer but I just had to ask! ;) Come drop in on the epic Emacs -vs- VI battle going on in the Bill Joy thread. VI can't hold a candle to Emacs when it comes to teledildonics. You testimony might be able to convince a few lost souls to cross over. Emacs is ALWAYS in insert mode. The way you insightfully psychoanalyzed the personalities of programmers of different languages in your deldo demo suggests to me that you might enjoy W Watson's "The Pervert's Guide to Programming Languages": [LINK] [this video] [LINK]
Recommends jolux · 2021-05 · on “Go proposal: new package to provide generic slice functions”
I don’t think masochism is inherently negative and I did not mean to insult. For that I apologize. I was trying to characterize in a humorous fashion a difference between what I perceive to be the stated aims of the language and the experience of actually writing it. It was also an oblique reference to this talk which is one of my favorites: [this video]
Recommends mwattsun · 2022-01 · on “Wrapping Up 2021. Leaving C++”
Since the author is open up front about their OCD issues, this talk immediately came to mind. It's a bit of an elaborate tongue-in-cheek joke, but I found it personally helpful for thinking about why a choose a language. Pervert in this context does not mean sexual deviancy. In the Lacanian sense, a pervert is a person who enjoys being a vessel of the rules. The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages - SXSW [this video] The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages Psychoanalysis and Software What are the issues with selecting a programming language? • Which programming language should we choose? - Just saying: 'use the right tool for the job' begs the question • Why are there
Recommends jimwhite42 · 2024-05 · on “"No way to prevent this" say users of only language where this regularly happens”
Here's an attempt to explaining the irrational part of programmers deciding which programming language to use. Part of it goes into more detail on ideas like C programmers insisting 'on the danger because they cannot stand the possibility of the danger being taken away from them'. "The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages" [this video] It's pretty out there, but I thought also interesting.
Cites mettamage · 2020-04 · on “The Pervert's Guide to Computer Programming Languages (2017) [video]”
Psychoanalysis: psychologists that don't do experiments, according to my university. Because of this they were briefly covered during one lecture and then completely tossed aside. Psychology != experimental psychology Yes, experimental psychologists have a field that almost completely crumbled, but at least they (1) admitted it and (2) some of them try to conduct science and succeed at it (most don't succeed unfortunately as virtually nothing is reproduced). So how to deal with psychoanalists? What I did: see them as entertaining inspiration for philosophical thoughts. But you can also skip to his section "why psychoanalysis" [1]. I wasn't impressed. Also, those bullets are questionable. So
Cites DonHopkins · 2020-05 · on “History of Logo”
Hey, how about throwing in a perverted, fetishistic, masochistic programming language like FORTH, too? ;) Where do you think Logo and Snap fit into the three basic mental structures of psychosis, perversion, and neurosis, as W Watson describes in "The Pervert's Guide to Programming Languages"? [LINK] [this video] [LINK] I have hope that Snap! has transcended the self-indulgent Turing Tarpit of Melancholy Languages like Scheme, Lisp (which spawned Scheme during a hysterical event), Smalltalk, and languages that never were, as described on the penultimate page. ;) Snap! strikes me more as a Hysterical language, frantically pursuing the object of desire, in pursuit of the perfect syntax. >Hysterical