Ergonomics in software programming

[Former Member]

Coming from this blog

/people/thomas.jung/blog/2007/12/07/google-charting-api-wrapper-for-abap

I begin this thread to discuss about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics">Ergonomics</a> concept in software programming.

[Former Member]

Excerpts from previus blog discussion:

...I just think ergonomics should be applied to programming languages just like ergonomics is applied to GUI development. Develop a programming language using keystrokes which you can type without having to look down at your fingers while typing (if you are a typist). The programming language should work the way the programmer works, not the opposite. Ergonomics. ABAP is fairly ergonomic, if you are a typist - typist meaning you don't look at your fingers while typing. That's all I'm saying...

Ignacio, I think the natural language programming languages, like ABAP, COBOL for example, are fairly ergonomic. I haven't really thought of ways to improve ABAP or Java or other languages. But when I see other programming languages over using obscure keystroke symbols again and again just to write a few lines of code it just makes me cringe. I get finger cramps just looking at it!

[Former Member]

Yes Kenneth,

I get your idea. Main lenguages have a direction to ergonomics. I would like to add: some times in View part of applications is commonly used a type of tag-scripting, really useful to define UI elements.

Regards,

Ignacio.

[pokrakam]

> Ignacio, I think the natural language programming

> languages, like ABAP, COBOL for example, are fairly

> ergonomic. I haven't really thought of ways to

> improve ABAP or Java or other languages. But when I

> see other programming languages over using obscure

> keystroke symbols again and again just to write a few

> lines of code it just makes me cringe. I get finger

> cramps just looking at it!

Really?

lv_obj ?= zcl_blah~if_this->get_that( im_flag = 'X' ). ":-)

Jokes aside, cryptic tends to equate less typing. A single 'sed' command from hell on a unix/linux system may require tens or even hundreds of lines of ABAP to do the same. Whilst I prefer the more wordy style of ABAP, one could argue that the net result is the same.

Cheers,

Mike

[Former Member]

Mike, I said "fairly" ergonomic. Of course they could use some improvements. Don't know Unix/Linux, so can't comment on that.

Cordially,

Kenneth