The reading touches upon some of professor’s explanation of ‘live coding’ in the first class. It’s something without a set definition or form, and it’s also the attempt to break the normalities of coding and software engineering.

As a computer science student, I’ve always felt like programming is more on the structured and restricting side, rather than the free and formless side. There’s a lot of style and format that has to be met, and there seems to be an answer to solving problems ‘effeciently.’ Hence, programming to me seems like a quiet war that I had to have within myself, trying to figure out what the best way of approach or thinking would be.

I think live coding will be liberating in that it’s not such a lonely fight. Live coders can share their approach and thinking on the spot with the audience. It may or may not be the best way, but regardless that thought process may be what makes the performance interesting.

Sarah Groff Hennign-Palermo’s expression that live coding is about “thinking otherwise about coding- what it can be, rather than what it is” makes me excited to try this new form of programming and coding.