The moment you write a program it starts becoming old,

libraries become outdated, the user interface gets a smell.

In many cases once a program goes online it becomes vulnerable to attacks,

and get this: attacks that didn't exist while the program was being written.

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To really write a program, a real program,

you have to create a text description of it.

Not some incomprehensible requirements document,

but a book of many chapters, sections and paragraphs.

You then have to create a private tool that converts your narrative,

into tests that either pass or fail.

Pass means, that whatever the paragraph was describing exists,

and works when provided some sample data.

Fail mean that the feature you described,

has not yet been implemented.

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A really good description, would hold up under the stress of creating the same program,

in different languages, by different development teams.

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It is the English description of your invention that is the real program,

the code is just one of many implementations.

You don't need to learn programming languages,

you need a Good Idea and a fine description.

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Here are a few very brilliant programs that you can safely base your invention on,

UNIX, HyperCard, Inform 7, WikiWikiWeb, Siri, Visual Programming Languages, Infographics and Dashboards.

This is a good starting point to thinking about Real Programming,

where you deal with concepts, not code.

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I think the most important type of a program the world needs today,

is a Visual Programming Language with an easy on ramp.

Creating a programming language that would enable all human beings to collaborate on computer programs,

would change the world.

And as you can imagine,

this can't be designed by a programmer.

It can't be created from the inside, where programmers only think in code,

and tend to follow requirements documents.

It has to be created from the outside of the software world,

by making demands that must be met.

It has to be created,

by a non-programmer.

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It has to be revolutionary,

because this will create a new computer revolution.

It has to work on the smart phone,

perhaps it is something that looks at diagrams that are drawn on paper.

Maybe it is something that uses a special on-screen keyboard,

where letters are replaced with words that can be strung together into commands like in the old adventure games.

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Once invented all other programs can be re-developed in this language,

people will begin programming their homes, and cars, and even dance routines and workouts.

The question is: Who will lead the new computer revolution...

Is it you?