4 ms·

I totally agree with this. The mass produced handheld computers such as smartphones and tablets, which outnumber desktops and laptops in personal ownership wor

I totally agree with this. The mass produced handheld computers such as smartphones and tablets, which outnumber desktops and laptops in personal ownership worldwide, will absolutely not help the newer generations with learning how computers work. When I was a tween I was building my own desktop, installing drivers, trouble shooting driver issues, trawling log files, and even dabbled in a little bit of python here or there when I had no idea what I was doing. None of that is even a thing on the black box of of a touch screen device.

sqeaky 9y ago
I am so glad that there are enough people around to support a healthy PC components market. I build 1 or 2 per year and I haven't felt the supply dwindle yet. It is a shame that this is no longer the default option, but it can be done for people wanting to get an educational experience. I wonder how easy it would be to build a computer with a little kid?
- Baeocystin 9y ago
  My six-year-old nephew sat with rapt amazement as I assembled a standard PC in his living room while hanging out with the family. It was a very straightforward build- just motherboard, CPU & RAM, no addon cards, hard drive was already in the case. His mind boggled a little when he saw all the wires from the power supply, but as I pointed out how each group of wired to key into only certain ports, I could see the 'aha!' in his eyes. (He also just about jumped for joy when he saw the color-changing LED fan I put on the case.) Obviously at that age he doesn't quite have the manual dexterity to do the work himself, but I let him touch the RAM as I installed it so he could feel it click in to place, and showed him how to close & latch the CPU lever. He appeared to really enjoy the experience. The next time one of the offices I work for retire some desktops, I may clean some up and partially disassemble them, so he can 'build' one himself. I really want to impress on him the fact that things that look complicated can be understood, if you just break down the task into bite-sized chunks.
fivestar 9y ago
You forget that Arduino and Raspberry Pi exist now and fill that void quite nicely. If anything, I think it is far, far easier to learn the intangible CS skills today than at any time in the past. The one problem I see is with kids' motivation to do so, not with access to information or materials.
- rjbwork 9y ago
  Naw, but I don't think they fill that void. Regular families don't really need/want desktops like they may have in years past.
- thenanyu 9y ago
  I think the subtlety is the change in defaults. Having access isn't even half the battle. Speaking from experience my motivation came from spending hundreds of hours making the only computer in my family work.

sqeaky 9y ago

I am so glad that there are enough people around to support a healthy PC components market. I build 1 or 2 per year and I haven't felt the supply dwindle yet. It is a shame that this is no longer the default option, but it can be done for people wanting to get an educational experience. I wonder how easy it would be to build a computer with a little kid?

Baeocystin 9y ago
My six-year-old nephew sat with rapt amazement as I assembled a standard PC in his living room while hanging out with the family. It was a very straightforward build- just motherboard, CPU & RAM, no addon cards, hard drive was already in the case. His mind boggled a little when he saw all the wires from the power supply, but as I pointed out how each group of wired to key into only certain ports, I could see the 'aha!' in his eyes. (He also just about jumped for joy when he saw the color-changing LED fan I put on the case.) Obviously at that age he doesn't quite have the manual dexterity to do the work himself, but I let him touch the RAM as I installed it so he could feel it click in to place, and showed him how to close & latch the CPU lever. He appeared to really enjoy the experience. The next time one of the offices I work for retire some desktops, I may clean some up and partially disassemble them, so he can 'build' one himself. I really want to impress on him the fact that things that look complicated can be understood, if you just break down the task into bite-sized chunks.

fivestar 9y ago

You forget that Arduino and Raspberry Pi exist now and fill that void quite nicely. If anything, I think it is far, far easier to learn the intangible CS skills today than at any time in the past. The one problem I see is with kids' motivation to do so, not with access to information or materials.

rjbwork 9y ago
Naw, but I don't think they fill that void. Regular families don't really need/want desktops like they may have in years past.
thenanyu 9y ago
I think the subtlety is the change in defaults. Having access isn't even half the battle. Speaking from experience my motivation came from spending hundreds of hours making the only computer in my family work.