I’ve tried visual programming when attempting to create instruments in Reaktor or Max/MSP. While I find it easier to “get started” with the language, I typically become annoyed at the amount of clicking and positioning I have to do, and how visual programming is very different from the text-based programming I’m used to. Perhaps I’m wrong but I really do feel typing out my commands instead of connecting a bunch of boxes with lines is more efficient and allows me to get “deeper” into what I’m doing, which may allow me to explore more interesting low-level concepts…
My biggest problem with visual tools is that they do not understand my intent. Text-based programming is capturing my intent because I am telling the computer exactly what to do. With visual tools, a layer is trying to translate my clicking and positioning into code. This works great 80% of the time, but that 20% of the time where the tool cannot adequately capture my intent removes most of the benefit from using the tool in the first place.
I’ve tried visual programming when attempting to create instruments in Reaktor or Max/MSP. While I find it easier to “get started” with the language, I typically become annoyed at the amount of clicking and positioning I have to do, and how visual programming is very different from the text-based programming I’m used to. Perhaps I’m wrong but I really do feel typing out my commands instead of connecting a bunch of boxes with lines is more efficient and allows me to get “deeper” into what I’m doing, which may allow me to explore more interesting low-level concepts…
My biggest problem with visual tools is that they do not understand my intent. Text-based programming is capturing my intent because I am telling the computer exactly what to do. With visual tools, a layer is trying to translate my clicking and positioning into code. This works great 80% of the time, but that 20% of the time where the tool cannot adequately capture my intent removes most of the benefit from using the tool in the first place.