This is a draft

My friends insist:

“Programming and coding are the same thing! There’s no distinction — trying to make a distinction is silly.”

I understand why they feel strongly.

People sometimes use these words in a way that’s almost classist: “coding” is low-status, “programming” is high-status, say.

Or, at the end of the day, you’re doing computation. Or you’re wielding the power of the computer to effect. It’s all the same outcome, and the same process.

I want these words to be distinct, though.

I want all words to be distinct.

If you have two words that mean almost the same thing, the shade of difference gives them each a special flavour.

Allowing a difference in meaning is invites texture and nuance into life.

Erasing a distinction of words is like erasing a varietal of plant.