Difference between 'programming' and 'coding'?
18 16 Jun 2015 19:40 by u/QuincyLarson
Growing up, I always called the act of writing code 'programming'. In recent years the word 'coding' has become much more popular. I myself have been calling it coding lately just because I hear it so much, however, it does seem like a pretentious word.
16 comments
10 u/mountain-dude 16 Jun 2015 20:05
Programming: writing code in a planned/professional way
Coding: writing code in an unplanned/intuitive way (i.e. more freelance)
That's my opinion anyways. For the most part they're synonymous.
3 u/fbWright 16 Jun 2015 23:50
Ayup. For me, too, "programming" sound like you have something in mind, while "coding" sounds like you are just hacking together a quick script.
2 u/normal_dude 17 Jun 2015 07:31
To add to that - I never realized I did this until now, but I tend to refer to low and mid level language as 'programming' and scripting languages as 'coding'.
0 u/Camarilla 18 Jun 2015 03:26
Yeah, I'd say programming includes the stuff an architect would do. Coding is just the part where you put lexemes to files.
9 u/coldacid 16 Jun 2015 20:22
There's no real difference between them. It's simply a matter of attitude that determines whether 'programming' or 'coding' is more appropriate to use over the other, at any given time.
3 u/twelveinchtip 16 Jun 2015 20:12
This might be a bit of a stretch, but maybe coding is a less ambiguous and less context dependent.
If you're a programmer for a website, are you doing the code or are you doing arranging the material?
If you're a CNC programmer, are you configuring the CNC or are you writing CNC control software?
1 u/cmdrd 16 Jun 2015 20:07
From experience, "coding" seems to be how people have been trying modernize what was typically called programming. Coding sounds so more interesting and non-geeky to non-programmers, maybe get more people interested and remove the old stereotypes.
1 u/taxation_is_slavery 16 Jun 2015 20:17
Coding is when you are following some pre-made design. Programming includes the design and coding part.
1 u/harris 16 Jun 2015 20:18
People say html and css arn't programming, but they are coding, so idk. No math i guess?
0 u/DrBunsen 19 Jun 2015 10:26
HTML is markup language, not programming afaik
0 u/pickelz4 16 Jun 2015 20:09
I see programming as the general idea of writing and creating programs to fit whatever situation you are planning on where coding is more the action of writing the code itself. Another way one could look at it I suppose it that one writes code and another programs a remotes, but usually it depends on the situation and the syntax.
0 u/Cid 16 Jun 2015 21:40
It's a shorter word and It has less syllables and coders are lazy. :p
0 u/zapion 17 Jun 2015 16:01
As mentioned, there's really no difference as many are adapted to calling it coding from the early days. Programming however, has that "professional" sense when you mention it.
"Currently codin' some booleans bro, wbu?"
"I'm programming this top-end software that will be deployed on the play store by the end of this month!"
0 u/obscurantist 18 Jun 2015 02:36
The same way there is really no concrete difference between a "film" and a "movie". Think of programming as a film, and coding as a movie.
0 u/choikwa 20 Jun 2015 00:17
Programming = What I write in my brain
Coding = translating it to characters