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RESEARCH_IS_HARD


                                             February 12, 2024
                                             March    25, 2024


Gerald M. Weinberg                                    PSYCHOLOGY_OF_COMPUTER_PROGRAMMING
Psychology of Computer Programming (1971, 1998)


One chapter of this book dives into a
discussion of the various challenges in trying     Ch 3, "How Can We
to get actual experimental data evaluating the     Study Programming?"
utility of a programming language. While
nothing about it strikes me as wrong, it has       HOW_CAN_WE_STUDY_PROGRAMMING
an oddly negative tone to it: Weinberg is
someone who's *done* this kind of research...
why is he acting like it's a hopeless task?


In the later commentary added for the Silver
edition he talks about how doing actual research
on the subject takes too long for him, and
certainly for "his clients"--
                           
    The last half of this book     
    is increasingly anecdotal.     
                                   
                                                             
        This book has a reputation as the
        first work research in this area.
                                         
        Really, it quickly loses the                                 
        faith: this is a document of                                 
        someone giving up on research.                             
                                                                    


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