@ -84,32 +84,20 @@ p5.js is a Javascript library started by the artist Lauren McCarthy as online po
The work of documentation around p5.js offers entry points to the world of programming, taking care of not taking too many things for granted. The amount of care and efforts in their tutorial about [debugging](https://p5js.org/learn/debugging.html), for example, results in a welcoming article with different levels of accessibility. Here the drawings help to visualize complex concepts, the tutorial format is beginner-friendly, and the narration makes for an interesting reading also for who is already familiar with debugging.
One of the most frightening aspects of programming is to be confronted with stack trace errors: when things don't work as espected and red error messages show up. These scarlet letters delivered by code are useful for developers to identify where in the program the error happened, but often they are dense of technicalities and difficult to decipher. Worst case scenario for beginners. The explanations from the p5.js Education Working Group tackle on this nightmare showing not only how to read technical errors, but how to think through them with different debugging methods. From here the stack trace error starts to get less alien and scary, less like a wall and more as a starting point to solve a problem.
One of the most frightening aspects of programming is to be confronted with stack trace errors: when things don't work as espected and red error messages show up. These scarlet letters delivered by code are useful for developers to identify where in the program the error happened, but often they are dense of technicalities and difficult to decipher. Worst case scenario for beginners. The explanations from the p5.js Education Working Group tackle on this nightmare showing not only how to read technical errors, but how to think through them with different debugging methods. From here the stack trace starts to get less alien and scary, less like a wall and more as a starting point to solve the error.
Another reflection on entry points and gatekeeping comes from the english artist and writer James Bridle. Their practice explores the cultural and ecological impacts of digital computation, walking and jamming the thin line between what is showed and what is kept hidden in the technological landscape we live in.
In the artwork `welcome.js` (2016), a tiny Javascript library published open source on GitHub, Bridle inject some greetings in their website (and in all the websites that include the library) to welcome the user to the console of the browser inspector. From here they provide some guidance for newcommers to access, inspect and modify the source code of web pages. A process to open doors and let people in, giving them more agency by demistifying technology.
In the artwork `welcome.js` (2016), a tiny Javascript library published open source on GitHub under a permissive MIT license, Bridle injects some greetings in their website (and in all the websites that include the library) to welcome users to the browser inspector.
The script comes in response to a similar, but opposite, violent message printed by Facebook in the console on their website to halt users from accessing the page markup. The platform adopted this approach to prevent scams and Self-XSS attacks to their users, that could have been lured into running malicious code in their own browsers by malicious people.
The artwork is hidden below the surface of the website, printed in the console of the browser inspector, a tool which allows users to see underlying code of the website they are visiting. From here `welcome.js` provides some guidance for newcommers to access, inspect and modify the source code of web pages. A process to open doors and let people in, giving them more agency by demistifying technology.
The script comes as response to a similar, but opposite and violent, message printed by Facebook in the console on their platform to halt users from accessing the page hidden structure. The platform adopted this approach to prevent scams and Self-XSS attacks to their users, that could have been lured into running malicious code in their own browsers by malicious people. However, instead of encouraging their userbase to understand, explore and eventually feel more safe against cyberattacks, the company opted for a full stop, marking a clear line between user and developers.
```placeholder
screen welcome.js
```
```placeholder
screen console fb
```
In response to the halt message printed from Facebook in the browser' inspector console, Bridle developed a tiny Javascript script to welcome people to the console.
- [gendered language feature or bug in software documentation](https://modelviewculture.com/pieces/gendered-language-feature-or-bug-in-software-documentation)
