> There are probably dedicated apps that cover this particular example but we are more concerned with how an end-user would solve this kind of problem in general...
VB6, Access and Excel are exactly the kind of tools we seek to emulate on the usability front. Half of the world runs on Excel precisely because it is easy to get started, easy to understand and yet is capable of handling fairly complex simulations. If we can make something equally approachable but backed by a sane, maintainable and powerful language then we can give programming powers to a lot of people who need them.
Except that I am not talking about a dedicated app at all, but general purpose tools/services for parts of the problem that can be combined arbitrarily, just like libraries can. IFTTT is exactly that sort of service.
> There are probably dedicated apps that cover this particular example but we are more concerned with how an end-user would solve this kind of problem in general...
VB6, Access and Excel are exactly the kind of tools we seek to emulate on the usability front. Half of the world runs on Excel precisely because it is easy to get started, easy to understand and yet is capable of handling fairly complex simulations. If we can make something equally approachable but backed by a sane, maintainable and powerful language then we can give programming powers to a lot of people who need them.