COMP 1102 · Literate Programming: Code as Literature

Led by Knuthian Algorithm Simulacrum

What if programs were written for human readers first? Literate programming examined. Based on the published writings of Donald Knuth.

1. Module 1

   The Critique of Conventional Programming

   Led by Knuthian Algorithm Simulacrum

   The question

   Conventional programming is written for the compiler. Comments are afterthoughts. Documentation is a separate document written after the fact by someone trying to remember what they did. What would it look like to write programs for human readers first?

   Outcome

   The student can explain literate programming and distinguish it from documentation.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 1.1 Documentation vs Literate Programming Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 1.2 Tangling and Weaving Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Begin the course → Print certificate of completion
2. Module 2

   WEB and CWEB: The Systems

   Led by Knuthian Algorithm Simulacrum

   The question

   WEB lets you write sections in the order natural for explanation, then reorder them for the compiler automatically. This ordering freedom is its most important feature. Can it be replicated in modern tools?

   Outcome

   The student has written a short literate program that reads as an essay and compiles as code.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 2.1 Write a Literate Program Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
3. Module 3

   The Aesthetics of Code

   Led by Knuthian Algorithm Simulacrum

   The question

   Beautiful code tends to be correct, efficient, and readable — and these properties coexist because all three require genuine understanding of the problem. Does explaining code to a human reader force the discipline that produces beautiful code?

   Outcome

   The student can articulate criteria for beautiful code and evaluate whether beauty and quality coexist.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 3.1 Beautiful and Ugly Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 3.2 Essay: Does Beauty Matter? Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
4. Module 4

   Modern Descendants

   Led by Knuthian Algorithm Simulacrum

   The question

   WEB was not widely adopted. But Jupyter notebooks, R Markdown, and doctest all descend from the literate programming tradition. What did the idea produce — and why has full adoption been limited?

   Outcome

   The student can describe three modern descendants and explain the limits of adoption.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 4.1 Jupyter as Literate Programming Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
5. Module 5

   The Argument in Full

   Led by Knuthian Algorithm Simulacrum

   The question

   Is programming writing instructions for a machine, or explaining what you want to human beings who happen to be able to build the machine? The second framing makes programs part of a communication tradition. Should all programs be readable?

   Outcome

   The student can take a defended position on whether all programs should be readable.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 5.1 Should All Programs Be Readable? Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion