In my communications with GiveWell and others about Pedant, the most prominent message I have is that the tool is too technical and complicated for someone interested in starting out.
This seems like a significant concern that might seriously impede adoption. I’d like to see more iteration to try to identify an MVP that is approachable for users to use. You write that you hope that the barrier to entry will be lowered in the third stage of the project, which involves making a web interface. I assume the web interface would let people skip the process of installing Pedant and knowing how to build files. But what would the web interface look like, and to what extent do potential users find the design intuitive?
The language seems quite straightforward to use, so I think it’s feasible to have people write directly in Pedant, but many people may be intimidated by the idea of writing in a programming language. Would friendlier syntax documentation help make Pedant more approachable? (The current syntax documentation assumes familiarity with programming languages.) Maybe a tutorial video on how to write a Pedant file?
I think the current documentation is too technical, or at least, it would be good to write a non-technical guide to the key features of Pedant. I also don’t understand power units.
I think some of the syntax could be more intuitive. For example,
Yes, I agree. I can very much add tuple style function application, and it will probably be more intuitive if I do so. It’s just that the theory works out a lot easier if I do Haskell style functions.
It seems to be a priority however. I’ve added an issue for it.
The web interface should be able to write pedant code without actually installing Pedant. Needing to install custom software is definitely a barrier.
This seems like a significant concern that might seriously impede adoption. I’d like to see more iteration to try to identify an MVP that is approachable for users to use. You write that you hope that the barrier to entry will be lowered in the third stage of the project, which involves making a web interface. I assume the web interface would let people skip the process of installing Pedant and knowing how to build files. But what would the web interface look like, and to what extent do potential users find the design intuitive?
The language seems quite straightforward to use, so I think it’s feasible to have people write directly in Pedant, but many people may be intimidated by the idea of writing in a programming language. Would friendlier syntax documentation help make Pedant more approachable? (The current syntax documentation assumes familiarity with programming languages.) Maybe a tutorial video on how to write a Pedant file?
I think the current documentation is too technical, or at least, it would be good to write a non-technical guide to the key features of Pedant. I also don’t understand power units.
I think some of the syntax could be more intuitive. For example,
might have a more obvious meaning if written as
though what syntax is possible is constrained by Haskell syntax.
What if pedant was a sort of “backend” to a sheet UX? A compiler that takes sheet formulae and generates pedant code?
The central claim is that sheet UX is error prone, so why not keep the UX and add verification behind it?
Thanks for your considerations!
Yes, I agree. I can very much add tuple style function application, and it will probably be more intuitive if I do so. It’s just that the theory works out a lot easier if I do Haskell style functions.
It seems to be a priority however. I’ve added an issue for it.
The web interface should be able to write pedant code without actually installing Pedant. Needing to install custom software is definitely a barrier.