Thread: Programmer Jokes: Is it really that obvious?

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    Programmer Jokes: Is it really that obvious?

    I already know I'm dumb in regards to jokes, but someone told me this joke was obvious (later it was explained to me), but I wanted to know.

    A mother said to her programmer son, "While you're out, buy some bread."Her son never came home.

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    It's obvious if you've ever really worked with programmers.

    Express the mother's words in pseudo-code
    Code:
       while (son(out))
          buy(bread);
    Infinite loop.
    Right 98% of the time, and don't care about the other 3%.

    If I seem grumpy or unhelpful in reply to you, or tell you you need to demonstrate more effort before you can expect help, it is likely you deserve it. Suck it up, Buttercup, and read this, this, and this before posting again.

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    Hmm...jokes must just be lost on me because I never even thought of that when I read it. I was told it was obvious, but I've been programming off and on as a hobby for 14 years and when I read it I thought of the programmer stereotype of always programming, never leaving home, no tan, etc and couldn't figure out the point of the joke. It was explained to me and still don't think their is any humor in it though.

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    Redundantly Redundant RoD's Avatar
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    if there was no indication it was a programming joke (ie mom says to son, with no pretext) I could see missing it but given the phrasing it came to me instantly.

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    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    if there was no indication it was a programming joke
    O_o

    Well yeah, but a person who sees this without indication of a joke and instantly thinks "never return, just buy bread forever" has a horribly broken understanding of conversational language.

    Soma

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    Redundantly Redundant RoD's Avatar
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    You misunderstand. I said if there was no indication it was a programming joke. For example if someone said to him let me tell you a joke, then I could see how he may not get the joke as he may not make that connection (as you just indicated). If however the person said let me tell you a programming joke well then I don't see how he missed it.

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    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    You misunderstand.
    O_o

    No. You misunderstood.

    You offered your view that the joke was, basically, obvious in the context that it was a programmer's programming joke.

    I offered my view that it would be idiotic, to the point of implying absurdly poor communication skills, to "get the joke" without context.

    Soma

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    The part that got me mad though, is even though I didn't get it (the thread topic was Programmer Jokes, which to me changed my mindset from programming to the programmer so when I read it it made no sense and never evaluated it from a compiler standpoint), I was told because I didn't get it I shouldn't be a programmer. I wasn't aware that having joke comprehension was a requirement to be a programmer.

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    C++ Witch laserlight's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BHXSpecter
    I was told because I didn't get it I shouldn't be a programmer. I wasn't aware that having joke comprehension was a requirement to be a programmer.
    Do you understand the notion of an infinite loop? If you do, then I don't see a problem. After all, I can also state that that person shouldn't be a programmer since he/she apparently did not consider that the mother's words were way too vague to be interpreted as proper specifications, and besides, imperative programming is not the only way to go.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bjarne Stroustrup (2000-10-14)
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    Look up a C++ Reference and learn How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

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    Quote Originally Posted by phantomotap View Post
    O_o

    No. You misunderstood.

    You offered your view that the joke was, basically, obvious in the context that it was a programmer's programming joke.

    I offered my view that it would be idiotic, to the point of implying absurdly poor communication skills, to "get the joke" without context.

    Soma
    Ahh I see. That's what I get for posting while the coffee is still in the pot.

    I wasn't aware that having joke comprehension was a requirement to be a programmer.
    If joke comprehension was a requirement there are a few programmers I know that would be out on the street.

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    There is a slight problem with the joke as stated imo, the word some. In the mother son communication there needs to be an agreed upon upper limit value for some, beyond which is not some anymore. This is probably by some cultural convention not made explicitly, but still this should be translated to a variable which breaks to loop.

    "While you're out, buy bread." would be better I think.

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    Quote Originally Posted by laserlight View Post
    Do you understand the notion of an infinite loop? If you do, then I don't see a problem. After all, I can also state that that person shouldn't be a programmer since he/she apparently did not consider that the mother's words were way too vague to be interpreted as proper specifications, and besides, imperative programming is not the only way to go.
    Yes, I understand infinite loops. The problem is that the way the sentence is structured is how my mom, wife, and father-in-law speak to me. If I say I'm going to get something that is usually how they say it to me "While you're out, get some dinner." Maybe that is why I didn't get it, because my family talks to me in that exact way. Infinite loops are one of the first things you learn when doing while statements (and then told why to avoid them), but the topic was Programmer joke so I had my mind in a different mind set as I was thinking in terms of myself rather than the art of programming itself when I read it, not to mention my family talks to me like that on a regular basis so it didn't look odd to me at all.

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    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    O_o

    Dude, you are reading way too much into this joke thing.

    The joke is irrelevant; no one with even half a brain would care if you didn't get it as aiming towards capability as a programmer.

    If you want to be a programmer, study programming for a decade; you will be a programmer.

    Soma

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    This thread is beginning to eat my brain.

  15. #15
    Master Apprentice phantomotap's Avatar
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    This thread is beginning to eat my brain.
    Nah. That's me. Wasn't able to get lunch.

    If it is any consolation, it was yummy!

    Soma

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