Ugh, did Obama really just say "I don't write codes". I saw the video/audio on the news, and he clearly wrote it as plural, but the news sites seem to be saying "code".
I can't believe his PR people put him on this messaging and weren't careful with that. Or is it on purpose -- did they tell him to say 'codes' rather than 'code' to really drive home that he doesn't know?
Anyway, I'm just generally upset about how little software literacy there is in the USA. It's no wonder Free Software is losing; most people don't even know that code in this context is a collective noun. Sigh.
Scorpio20, ddevine@identi.ca, Claes Wallin (韋嘉誠), Stephen Sekula likes this.
Perhaps, because, it's best to be realistic and recognise that at present we are really just a living example of an alternate system. If we are lucky some of our work will cross-pollinate and create stepping stones towards our ultimate vision.
One of the European FLOSS licenses (one or more of the CeCILLs or EUPLs, can't recall offhand) uses "a code" in its English language version to mean something like "a work of software". Jarring, to be sure.
I suppose it's unlikely that someone proficient in coding (even if only proficient in English as a second language) would use "write codes". Still.
I don't think it's a matter of "code" being a collective noun. There's nothing particularly obvious or logical or consistent with other English usages about the informal use of "code" to mean "software". It could easily have been "codes" in some similar alternate universe. I remember finding it a bit surprising when I first became aware of it (because for me the first meaning of "code" was the cipher/code usage). I am not sure it can be considered formally idiomatic English -- in that case one would generally say "write software" or "develop software" or "program".
But he does write codes Bradley...law codes! With every executive order and legislative proposal that ends up codified he is writing such. :-)