Down the rabbit hole

I kept hearing the term no-code thrown around recently, and I had the general idea of what it might be based on some research I had done to see how I could get my kids into programming. I just had not heard it called no code before. Then I saw a repo called nocode and had a good laugh about it. The description of this repo is, “The best way to write secure and reliable applications. Write nothing; deploy nowhere.”

So I decided to look into what people were calling no-code as the industry standard. It was exactly what I thought, a drag and drop interface to program with. I have seen similar things built for kids to help them learn the logic behind programming, and I had seen some low-code options being implemented into game development software, but I never thought it would end up this big.

As I continued my journey into what I was reading I found that I enjoyed the idea that anyone could start building apps to get them going. However, I quickly realized that the tools liked this had a major limitation. What I have found is that trying to do class structures and inheritance is going to get lost. And I know there are many people who prefer functional programming, but I am one of those people who think there is a time and place for everything. I also live in a world of APIs and packages that constantly need extended and therefore should have good class structures.

I also realized that something like no-code could easily slow the release of software down. If I have to hunt for my function in a list, drag it into a field and then proceed with the same process for any if statements, I am going to end up spending more time dragging and dropping then I would have if I would have just wrote out the code myself. This could be solved with some keyboard shortcuts I suppose, and I am sure there is probably someone either working on it, or it’s already out there.

All that said, I am still not sure if that would even be effective in the long run, but I guess that would all depend on the program in which these No-Code applications are done in. If I have a shortcut for everything I need, even custom functions then it may be beneficial.

Where will it go?

I am sure the ideas behind no-code and low-code are going to continue forward. If a business needs a small little app then why would they pay a software developer the big bucks when they can grab someone savvy enough in office to go build this app really quick. It may not be as robust, but it will get the job done for a fraction of the price.

That may sound like I may be in the party of those who think no-code will eventually put them out of a job. But I have none of those fears anymore. When I started I feared programs like WIX and Squarespace would do the same. But not only are there plugins you could build, those are not the types of jobs I want to work with anyways. So let those companies who have the passion and desire to take care of those. I will wait for innovators to approach the ideas that succeed the abilities of those sites, present tasks that are actually thought provoking, and challenge me to put my knowledge to use and not just throw bits and bobs together in a WYSIWYG editor.




Hero Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash