- Image via Wikipedia
You are not a programmer. This is a truth you have long since accepted. Your computer is not an extension of yourself, with fingers and keys blurred to perfect harmony, a screen reflecting your every command before it’s given. Your skills (you offer that name sparingly, embarrassed that it is close to a deception) are meager. Software eludes you; source codes confuse; and it is considered a triumph if you manage to keep the Internet from stalling. You have no understanding of applications or their meanings. You cannot create and redefine… except you already do.
Software is not beyond you. It is instead ingrained within your every gesture, refocused to your specific needs. While you may not be crafting endless strings of code or solving the riddles of functionality, you are still programming. It is a process called End User Development; and through it are the unexpected ways to utilize your system and its many tasks.
End User Development, explained simply (as you always wish your computer’s components to be), is a series of scripts that are manipulated daily by you. These applications are not filled to complex syntax. They are instead items like templates, basic HTML for blogging and spreadsheets. These are learning softwares that can be changed each time they are opened. They are found throughout your system and can be tailored to all of your requirements – such as when you create a file directory or stream a video game. They are easy and immediate.
And, because of this, they are often ignored.
End User Development is mistaken by many as little more than software certainty. It is, however, the individual choosing to reprogram each function, to make the necessary choices. And, while these are small changes, they are still vital to creating a personalized experience.
You are a programmer. You just didn’t realize it. Now you can.
