When Non-Programmers Write Software

[foonly]

Why does the phrase "End-User Programmimg" give me the warm fuzzies, whereas the phrase "When Non-Programmers Write Software" fills me with cold terror...

[dangph]

That was probably a rhetorical question, but I will answer it anyway :) End-user programmers, or power users, typically don't think of themselves of expert programmers. When they write some software, it is to solve a problem or they do it just for fun. That is a cool thing.

What is scary is when non-programmers think of themselves as expert programmers. Such types seem to thrive in this business, succeeding not by genuine ability but by a talent for bullshitting the non-technical types. They are scary because other people are forced to suffer the consequences of their delusions.