Szymon Kaliski

Live-Programming Issues

  • Live-Programming is great, but somehow hard to apply to "production systems", why?
    • most Live-Programming demos are about sliders in the code editor, adjusting variables live, as the output in the split screen changes
      • anecdotally when working on "production systems" I rarely play with constants - maybe only when polishing some UI, but even then it often feels like working at the wrong level of abstraction
      • most of the time, I try different code paths, which often means toggling multiple lines on/off across multiple files; "wiggling" the structure, not a single value
        • this sometimes feels close to trying to have multiple git branches visible and editable at the same time (which is related to Handling History in Software)
  • when Live-Programming a generative system, I see only the final result, so I still have to play a computer in my head (Simulator) - it's only that I have live-feedback from my actions - which is great, but for more complex things I want more visibility into sub-parts of the system

Backlinks

  1. 2025-09-25Future Of Coding1
  2. 2024-02-21Live-Programming1