I'm not sure which other language Mr. Kohn referred to, though. Supposing it's COBOL, for example, that language has explicit sections for file data, variables, and such. Since Fortran lacked a "compilable organization scheme," he may have thought readers would object to a language where "one opened Notepad and vomited up funcs" (in a manner of speaking).
We sort of see the same in Javascript (or really many other languages): without tooling, or external guardrails--or even experience--there is not much in the way between the programmer and the program.
And we would agree that missing friction is sort of par for the course for dynamic languages. There is a tradeoff between (compiled) static typing versus typoing one's variable names. And--in the context of hacking, in terms of prototyping curiosity--advantages abound in having languages that fill this niche.
Okay, so now we circle back to the engineering bit. Employers appear to see value delivered in these bootcamp graduates. They may not see the travails of code review, the gnashing of teeth, and the general discontent on the part of folks who see programming as methodical, a sort of craftspersonship, to output something of rigor, performant, well-documented, and easy to extend & maintain.
Those principles may not be easily burdened in six weeks. Much of it is intangible, maybe self-actualized, with little mentorship to speak of. They are busy learning loops, lists, and--in the name of commercial expedience--assured that most issues are only a package or plugin away.
But surely not everyone is complaining of gatekeeping? For some, software has opened an immense portal to a lifetime of hitting walls and surmounting them. They can take their grit and perseverance, cast questions into the ether, and cobble working pieces.
Then that just leaves the complaints for complexity. Better tooling helps. Automated checks help. Business-enforced policies for code quality, security, and CI/CD help.
Even with all that, shenanigans abound. That part is more of a social issue, and something no amount of engineering is going to solve.
