I can simplify a few of these goals into a meta-goal: A consistent environment between all users so all can use common resources. Programmers who are just star

I can simplify a few of these goals into a meta-goal: A consistent environment between all users so all can use common resources. Programmers who are just starting out tend to have an incomplete picture of their environment. While we should encourage them to build up an understanding of it, we should recognize that doing so takes effort, and should ultimately be a positive learning experience. Some of the best lessons come from trying to push hardware/software boundaries. But the lesson "version 1 didn't do that, only version 2+ does" isn't great. If we're talking about children or teenagers they may just conclude "mine's broken" and stop exploring. Worse still, blame themselves for problems they don't fully understand.