I think this is fundamental point, related to yesterday’s discussion about the need for “transparent” computing tools, which can be used in a “convivial“ fashio

I think this is fundamental point, related to yesterday’s discussion about the need for “transparent” computing tools, which can be used in a “convivial“ fashion — custom shaped by users to match their own needs. Humans have always used technology in this manner till the industrial revolution and the use of machines to scale production meant inflexibility of the product. IMHO, the next step of progress should involve ways to give back the flexibility while keeping the power of modern engineering. Software makes this easier to do than hardware, since experimentation and cloning are particularly cheap — so “software eating the world” should hopefully find ways to give power back to the users. In the urge to make interfaces “simpler” by dumbing them down (appealing to the lowest common denominator), we have lost sight of the importance of ramping up novices into power users rather than having them stagnate and atrophy. Yes, there might be a learning curve, but keeping it gradual and steady can allow users to reach great heights! In what seems like an eternity ago, it is difficult to put in words the freedom I felt as a college student when I first moved from Windows to using Ubuntu — for the first time ever, I had the freedom to shape my own computing experience, rather than accepting the straight jacket I was given. Two other examples that I have less experience with, but am quite fond of include Emacs and SmallTalk. There’s a lot that can be learned (at least philosophically, if not technically) from the passionate love inspired by these examples. The user/programmer divide is a symptom of yet another sharply increasing “inequality”. We need to think about it in fundamental terms, and can’t solve the problem just by making “coding” appear cool. It’s not enough to have references and guides, because all those only make sense once you’ve crossed a knowledge barrier. They contribute to a shitty on-boarding experience. Focusing specifically on teaching programming is missing the point, IMHO. No amount of teaching (artificially structured) can ever be as good as a platform that enables people to gradually learn and adapt at their own pace. The human mind is enormously capable of learning with experience.