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The problem with visual programming is it abandons the fundamental principle of language, whereby to connect two objects it is necessary only to speak their names, in favor of the principle of physicality, whereby to connect two objects it is necessary that they be in physical contact, ie. to be joined by a wire.


> only to speak their names

> in physical contact, ie. to be joined by a wire.

I don't really see how that is different, in any given language the name alone is not enough to refer to the object, in general case you have to import it. For me the process of name resolution and connecting by a wire is the same thing with different representations.


> to connect two objects it is necessary that they be in physical contact

I can imagine a way to connect an object to another by selecting the latter's name from a drop-down menu of defined objects. A visual equivalent of a function call.


Is that an inherent problem of the medium or the result of people trying too hard to completely change the paradigm?




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