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Growing up with the social implications of the internet isn't the same as growing up with PCs. Smartphones are now what people know how to use and you don't int

Growing up with the social implications of the internet isn't the same as growing up with PCs. Smartphones are now what people know how to use and you don't interact with them the same way you interact with a desktop PC. Files? What are files. There was a time before technical literacy and now we're in a time after it. It was fun while it lasted.

shoo 7y ago
Smartphones offer a much more user friendly, accessible way of doing common tasks, but there is a much higher barrier of entry to go from "software user" to a hobbyist "software creator". Compare to microcomputers that might be sitting in primary school classrooms 25-30 years ago, where you turn the machine on and seconds later you're staring at a command line that directly interprets BASIC.
- conjectures 7y ago
  I worry this will have an effect on equality of opportunity in the not-too-distant future. There will be some parents who understand this, and some who don't - or can't afford to do anything about it. It's a big swath of options those people will miss out on.
  - shoo 7y ago
    > There will be some parents who understand this, and some who don't In some ways it is easier to understand (software / IT is perhaps more widely understood to potentially be a good career, given the success of tech companies as businesses & the financial success of many of their employees) but also harder to understand -- there are fewer obviously "tinkerable" computer systems in people's day to day lives. > or can't afford to do anything about it I agree that wealthier families generally have access to more opportunities to set their children up to have successful careers (e.g. private tutoring, wider choice of schools, able to support children to focus on careers with high initial investements of time and capital vs needing to leave school to help out on the family farm, etc). This has been true for a long time and will continue to be true in future. But, I reckon that it is much more affordable to buy hardware & software required for a "tinkerable" hobbyist computer lab these days than 25 years ago: what cost $2000 in 1995 might only cost $200 today (esp if you buy second hand hardware and install linux) while also giving far superior hardware performance and better tools for creating software.
    - whichquestion 7y ago
      Wealthy individuals and their children are probably more likely to have social connections to others with capital who are willing to assist them as well. A raspberry pi 4 kit with 2GB of RAM can be as low as $60 now!! Tinkering with computers can be inexpensive. For those who want it, there is a cornucopia of tinker-able machines out there. Many smart phones have terminal apps you can download. There are also a lot of websites out there that’ll let you do something akin to tinkering. It seems to me that, in many cases, it’s a matter of getting people’s attention or interest in tinkering with their computers than access to tinker-able machines.
      - spikej 7y ago
        Also, you can pick up an old computer from a thrift store or craigslist for really cheap -- much cheaper than a pi.
        copperx 7y ago
        Absolutely. A Pi is a luxury item for bored programmers. You can get much more bang for your $60 buying a PC/laptop.
- walshemj 7y ago
  Its also a barrier to working in a professional job in a lot of cases.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
slightwinder 7y ago
Millenials did not grew up with smartphones, but PCs. Well, at least if their familiy could afford them. But having access to the same tools, does not implicate to use it for the same tasks. Kids would use them for fun, work comes later. And it seems people take it for given that digital natives not only have no fear from technology, but also are on the same basic level as a proper trainied worker, because magic?

shoo 7y ago

Smartphones offer a much more user friendly, accessible way of doing common tasks, but there is a much higher barrier of entry to go from "software user" to a hobbyist "software creator". Compare to microcomputers that might be sitting in primary school classrooms 25-30 years ago, where you turn the machine on and seconds later you're staring at a command line that directly interprets BASIC.

conjectures 7y ago
I worry this will have an effect on equality of opportunity in the not-too-distant future. There will be some parents who understand this, and some who don't - or can't afford to do anything about it. It's a big swath of options those people will miss out on.
- shoo 7y ago
  > There will be some parents who understand this, and some who don't In some ways it is easier to understand (software / IT is perhaps more widely understood to potentially be a good career, given the success of tech companies as businesses & the financial success of many of their employees) but also harder to understand -- there are fewer obviously "tinkerable" computer systems in people's day to day lives. > or can't afford to do anything about it I agree that wealthier families generally have access to more opportunities to set their children up to have successful careers (e.g. private tutoring, wider choice of schools, able to support children to focus on careers with high initial investements of time and capital vs needing to leave school to help out on the family farm, etc). This has been true for a long time and will continue to be true in future. But, I reckon that it is much more affordable to buy hardware & software required for a "tinkerable" hobbyist computer lab these days than 25 years ago: what cost $2000 in 1995 might only cost $200 today (esp if you buy second hand hardware and install linux) while also giving far superior hardware performance and better tools for creating software.
  - whichquestion 7y ago
    Wealthy individuals and their children are probably more likely to have social connections to others with capital who are willing to assist them as well. A raspberry pi 4 kit with 2GB of RAM can be as low as $60 now!! Tinkering with computers can be inexpensive. For those who want it, there is a cornucopia of tinker-able machines out there. Many smart phones have terminal apps you can download. There are also a lot of websites out there that’ll let you do something akin to tinkering. It seems to me that, in many cases, it’s a matter of getting people’s attention or interest in tinkering with their computers than access to tinker-able machines.
    - spikej 7y ago
      Also, you can pick up an old computer from a thrift store or craigslist for really cheap -- much cheaper than a pi.
      - copperx 7y ago
        Absolutely. A Pi is a luxury item for bored programmers. You can get much more bang for your $60 buying a PC/laptop.
walshemj 7y ago
Its also a barrier to working in a professional job in a lot of cases.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

slightwinder 7y ago

Millenials did not grew up with smartphones, but PCs. Well, at least if their familiy could afford them. But having access to the same tools, does not implicate to use it for the same tasks. Kids would use them for fun, work comes later. And it seems people take it for given that digital natives not only have no fear from technology, but also are on the same basic level as a proper trainied worker, because magic?