The difference between setting parameters and programming is obviously that programming allows the creation of new functions.
"Coding" is literally the act of translating a more-or-less formally specified program (that is, a set of planned actions) into a particular computer language.
However, if being a programmer was only like being a translator, programming wouldn't be too hard for mere mortals. That's on the other part - the one that involves methods, logic, knowledge like the CAP theorem - they have problems with. The fact is, not every one can re-discover the bubble sort algorithm like we all here did when we were 8 or so. That's why we are programmers, and that's why they are not (and don't even want to be -- but they are nonetheless nice people and have other qualities, like having money). And these problems don't vanish if you switch from control-flow to data-flow or some bastardized-flow; they just change shape.
As some people have mentioned in this HN post, it is hard to define what programming means.
A program is the result of the automation of some process (system) that people have thought up (even things that couldn't exist before computers). Programming is the act of taking that process (system) and describing it in a computing device of some kind.
Programming currently requires some kind of mapping from the "real world" to the "computer world". The current mapping is done primarily with source code. So, it currently seems that people who are good at programming are good at mapping from the "real world" into the "computer world" via coding.
You seem to be making the point that some people are just good at programming because they can do things like "re-discover the bubble sort algorithm" or understand CAP theorem. These are very domain specific problems.
For people who are able to "re-discover inventory control management" they would do a great job of automating it (programming) if they had an easier way to map that process (system) to a computing device.
The ultimate goal (other than maybe AI) is a 1-to-1 mapping between a "real world" process (system) and a computing device that automates it.
