Did this group become "Polyglot Programmers"?
Sukant Hajra
http://www.polyglotprogrammers.org/
I looks remarkably like what I envisioned this group being. It's at
Headspring, so I assumed Ron or Greg knew about it. If they're not the same
effort, I'm fine with them merging.
I'm going to post on the Agile Austin list about it too.
-Sukant
Ron Romero
Sukant Hajra
>
> No, I've not heard of it. Thanks for finding it. It's exciting to see all
> the programs that are springing up in Austin for developers.
>
> The groups seem different to me, though. Polyglot is focusing on learning
> a new language, and the Dojo is focused on intentional practice. There's
> some overlap, but I don't think a merger is quite right. We should
> advertise/mention them at the Dojo, though.
>
> It does mean we need to rethink our date, though, as they meet the second
> Thursday, and I'd hate to compete for time.
If the two merged, it would make sense to me. Learning a new language is part
of the larger problem of learning. Deliberate practice is part of the same
problem.
Also, I'd completely downplay the "glot" root of "polyglot." Since a language
is really only a very small thing to learn. The real problem is understanding
abstractions and architectural constraints. I'd hope the members of this new
group understand that. If they /really/ wanted to emphasis the true goal, I
think "Polymorphic Programmers" is a better name. The idea is to learn new
things to get out of the constraints of any one abstraction. We get so caught
up in idioms, it gets retarded. There's nothing special about "polyglot
programming," except for that it was probably the title of some well-known
professional speaker's talk. That doesn't mean it's some kind of goal we
should aspire to.
What I'd do is talk to them about their mission. People may be amenable to
change. What's /most/ important is that we help ourselves grow as a community
and not get too caught up in overstating the value of any one solution.
-Sukant