CB Wright
Does anyone remember specification-based programming? Back in my OS/2 days I met a few people who were big proponents of it. Vibe coding reminds me of a copy of a copy of that, sort of like "specification based programming, only you're drunk and the computer's drunk and you lost your glasses so everything's blurry"
May 20 at 8:54pmWeb
Show threadOwen G. Richards - ANTIFAscistMay 21

@ubersoft

When I worked fulltime in IT - NOTHING was coded without a spec.

Vibe coding was rejected out of hand as being total shite!

Show threadCB WrightMay 21

@Owen_G_Richards I get it, but I don't think that's what I'm talking about...

Keep in mind I'm trying to remember something I wasn't directly involved in from 25 years back, but very broadly I mean "writing in a specification language instead of a programming language, and feeding that into a compiler to turn it into machine language."

Someone with more direct familiarity can explain how every part of that description is wrong, but that's what I've got. :D

Show threadOwen G. Richards - ANTIFAscistMay 21

@ubersoft

I've never heard of that, so I can't comment...

It sounds a bit like software to read one language (a specification) to convert it into another (machine code)? A compiler/interpreter? Or similar... if I'm really THAT confused, never mind...

Show threadCB WrightMay 21
@Owen_G_Richards That's about how I understood it. One of the guys I knew about claimed it was the One True Path to writing bug-free code.
Show threadOwen G. Richards - ANTIFAscistMay 21

@ubersoft

Well, if it's true, then I can confirm that the compilers/interpreters I used would not allow incorrect coding - as in syntax, structure...

But it was still a CICO system as far as good programming was concerned.

You code incorrectly, and it may compile, but it would only ever do what you told it to do!