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I'm told that, from the perspective of a biologist, a tomato is a fruit. But when I buy them in the supermarket, I look for them amongst the vegetables. Why? Because the technical distinction doesn't matter in that particular context. Moreover, the distinction would actually get in the way of their usefulness: id I was daft enough to include tomatoes in a fruit salad, for example.

• Is it really worth interrupting the flow of the discussion to make this distinction?
• Does my pedantry stem from a sense of arrogance or from past hurt?
• Do my comments value the skills of others as well a my own?

Of course, there are times when distinctions need to be made. My aim is that, when I make a contribution, it will add value to our collective endeavours.

That is, after all, the job of a every real programmer.

I'm told that, from the perspective of a biologist, a tomato is a fruit. But when I buy them in the supermarket, I look for them amongst the vegetables. Why? Because the technical distinction doesn't matter in that particular context. Moreover, the distinction would actually get in the way of their usefulness: if I was daft enough to include tomatoes in a fruit salad, for example.

• Is it really worth interrupting the flow of the discussion to make this distinction?
• Does my pedantry stem from a sense of arrogance or from past hurt?
• Do my comments value the skills of others as well as my own?

Of course, there are times when distinctions need to be made. My aim is that, when I make a contribution, it will add value to our collective endeavors.

That is, after all, the job of every real programmer.

I'm told that, to a biologist, a tomato is a fruit. But when I buy them in the supermarket, I look for them amongst the veg. Why? Because the technical distinction doesn't matter in that particular context. Moreover, the distinction would actually get in the way if I daft enough to include tomatoes in a fruit salad.

It is the same with computer languages. There are times when the difference between programming languages and other languages really does matter. Quite often, however, we can all communicate perfectly effectively when just lump them all in together. In the case of the question linked by the OP, it really didn't matter what languages were true programming languages and which were not. Pointing out the distinction didn't advance the discussion in any way. Thankfully, other than adding a little noise (and becoming the stimulus for an interesting discussion!) the pedantry linked by the OP was of little consequence. At its worst, however, pedantry can stir up negative feelings and damages relationships... at least according to my wife.
:-)

I'm told that, from the perspective of a biologist, a tomato is a fruit. But when I buy them in the supermarket, I look for them amongst the vegetables. Why? Because the technical distinction doesn't matter in that particular context. Moreover, the distinction would actually get in the way of their usefulness: id I was daft enough to include tomatoes in a fruit salad, for example.

It is the same with computer languages. There are times when the difference between programming languages and other languages really does matter. Quite often, however, we can all communicate perfectly effectively when just lump them all in together. In the case of the question linked by the OP, it really didn't matter what languages were true programming languages and which were not. Pointing out the distinction didn't advance the discussion in any way. Thankfully, other than adding a little noise (and becoming the stimulus for an interesting discussion!) the pedantry linked by the OP was of little consequence. At its worst, however, pedantry can stir up negative feelings and damages relationships... at least according to my wife.
:-)

So, presentation-oriented languages (HTML, CSS) are important. The value added by who can use these tools effectively should not be underestimated.

As the OP pointed out, "real" programming languages are Turing Complete. As a proper sad geek, I find this sublimely fascinating. It means that, for any program written in a T-C language, a functionally equivalent program can be written in any other T-C language. Of course, this isn't to say that all languages are the same. The each have their strengths and weaknesses that make them more or less suitable for certain tasks. However, I/O aside, this means that all programs can be written in all true programming languages.

He was referring to generals who make a strategic assessment over which battles are which fighting: are the gains worth the costs?

So, presentation-oriented languages (HTML, CSS) are important. The value added by those who can use these tools effectively should not be underestimated.

As the OP pointed out, "real" programming languages are Turing Complete. As a proper sad geek, I find this sublimely fascinating. It means that, for any program written in a T-C language, a functionally equivalent program can be written in any other T-C language. Of course, this isn't to say that all languages are the same. They each have their strengths and weaknesses that make them more or less suitable for certain tasks. However, I/O aside, this means that all programs can be written in all true programming languages.

He was referring to generals who make a strategic assessment over which battles are worth fighting: are the gains worth the costs?