Presented at Off the Beaten Track, January 2012
Programming is now a necessary activity for people working in many disciplines, from biology to sociology. However, the languages and tools used by many “part-time programmers” have not benefited from programming languages research, which presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Given the large number of new programmers who lack bad habits and prejudices, we have a fresh chance to encourage adop- tion of robust techniques and good technology. To make this happen, programming languages experts must develop languages and tools that provide demonstrable advantages to new part-time programmers, and we need to invest in a pedagogy that ensures their success in acquiring relevant programming skills.