Skip to main content

The Norway Problem

The Norway Problem - why StrictYAML refuses to do implicit typing and so should you

Norway abbreviates as NO. This is a real word and some programs will alter that to a programming command, such as "False." A workaround in some cases is to put it in quotation marks, but you may not know that ahead of time. There are other cases like this, such as a person whose last name is Null.

Found via HN.

Related reading: Principle of least astonishment
A textbook formulation is: "People are part of the system. The design should match the user's experience, expectations, and mental models."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Accounts

You can set up a new account to save your wardrobe but can't order anything until you get measured. Setting up a new account will prompt you to make an appointment with the nearest certified seamstress allowed to measure you. This potentially tells us where to go certify a bunch of new people. If enough people create an account in x city, we make sure to arrange a certified seamstress as soon as possible if there isn't one yet.

To Python or not to Python?

I've had a lot of people recommend Python to me as a language I should learn. I have just tripped across this comment on HN : Not to be a total smartass, but if your Python codebase is not that big yet, then the correct answer is none of the above- rewrite in a compiled language if you find the lack of static checks disturbing. I have been using "type checked" python for a year and let me tell you, it is not even 10% as good as having a real compiler. Python type checkers are not even close to 100% accuracy. Now I'm wondering if Python is really a good first language to learn or not.