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She learned that her opinion is valued. She learned that it's ok to question things. She likely had a sense, based on the activity that followed, that she effec

She learned that her opinion is valued. She learned that it's ok to question things. She likely had a sense, based on the activity that followed, that she effected change in some way. I'm sure it was explained to her, and while of course she doesn't understand what a kernel or source code are, she surely had a sense of some positive accomplishment.

zamalek 8y ago
The world will become a better place if all kids get this golden treatment. I wish we could so easily push trivial changes to society but, in a very small way, this ripple in the ocean did.
- berbec 8y ago
  "See this? We just need to change one little thing. There is a problem with the program and we can fix it: the president variable is orange. Let's work on that"
was_boring 8y ago
Exactly. My 3.5 year old could have noticed this (looks at my computer while I'm typing, and loves it somehow) and if they pointed it out I would have said "You're right! Let's fix it. Here you press that key. Great, we fixed it for us, but what about grandma? Should we fix it for her too?" This would then lead to a kernel patch and they would feel incredibly happy about for as long as they remembered it (little kids love to help in any way).
ascii_only 8y ago
And more importantly whole community learned from this.
shaklee3 8y ago
I have a four year old. This patch was almost certainly submitted and entered by the parent.
int_19h 8y ago
She also learned that when you see something wrong, and you have the ability to fix it, it's a good thing to do so. Many big problems (speaking broadly here, not just about software engineering) really consist of such tiny things that aggregate, and can be tackled in a decentralized fashion if most people bothered to contribute just a little, even when it feels like the effort is minuscule and worthless. Think of it as the equivalent of picking up a small piece of litter on the street, and throwing it into the nearby trash can.

zamalek 8y ago

The world will become a better place if all kids get this golden treatment. I wish we could so easily push trivial changes to society but, in a very small way, this ripple in the ocean did.

berbec 8y ago
"See this? We just need to change one little thing. There is a problem with the program and we can fix it: the president variable is orange. Let's work on that"

was_boring 8y ago

Exactly. My 3.5 year old could have noticed this (looks at my computer while I'm typing, and loves it somehow) and if they pointed it out I would have said "You're right! Let's fix it. Here you press that key. Great, we fixed it for us, but what about grandma? Should we fix it for her too?" This would then lead to a kernel patch and they would feel incredibly happy about for as long as they remembered it (little kids love to help in any way).

ascii_only 8y ago

And more importantly whole community learned from this.

shaklee3 8y ago

I have a four year old. This patch was almost certainly submitted and entered by the parent.

int_19h 8y ago

She also learned that when you see something wrong, and you have the ability to fix it, it's a good thing to do so. Many big problems (speaking broadly here, not just about software engineering) really consist of such tiny things that aggregate, and can be tackled in a decentralized fashion if most people bothered to contribute just a little, even when it feels like the effort is minuscule and worthless. Think of it as the equivalent of picking up a small piece of litter on the street, and throwing it into the nearby trash can.