What Is Code? by Paul Ford
Shares rank 28 of 60 articles by recommenders
A long essay that explains software and programming to people outside the field. Readers call it clear, clarifying and worth revisiting, and no critics were recorded.
A long essay that explains software and programming to people outside the field. Readers call it clear, clarifying and worth revisiting, and no critics were recorded.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Reframes how readers see their work
“This article framed things in a way that shook me out of a physically dangerous, homeless, jobless rut.”
Comment from 7 Jan 2026 in “What *Is* Code? (2015)” “this was mouthwash for me”
Comment from 7 Jan 2026 in “What *Is* Code? (2015)” Praised as a masterpiece and worth saving
“A Paul Ford masterpiece. I loved this so much when it came out”
Comment from 7 Jan 2026 in “What *Is* Code? (2015)” “This story is "best comments" material.”
Comment from 7 Jan 2026 in “What *Is* Code? (2015)”
Other articles people recommend
The four most recommended other articles, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Programming as Theory Buildingby Peter Naur | 32 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Ur-Fascismby Umberto Eco | 18 | 2 | 90% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Politics and the English Languageby George Orwell | 14 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| The Grug Brained Developer by Carson Gross | 13 | 1 | 93% | 9 | — | Approved |
| What Is Code? by Paul FordThis page | 6 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“a good pre-cursor to the DSL article”
“this is the best description of software (as notion and as profession) for non-insiders”
“this was mouthwash for me”
“This story is "best comments" material.”
“This article framed things in a way that shook me out of a physically dangerous, homeless, jobless rut.”
“A Paul Ford masterpiece. I loved this so much when it came out”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.