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Yeah, specifically in my business (e-commerce, selling used video games) we have a set of scripts that can create a full eBay listing simply by scanning a game'

Yeah, specifically in my business (e-commerce, selling used video games) we have a set of scripts that can create a full eBay listing simply by scanning a game's barcode, another one that generates sales reports and breaks them down with exactly the information that I want, one that interfaces with some hardware to automatically test the save function in Game Boy games, and some more to come in future (we're new!). I saw some similar things in the accounting department at my previous employer, and on the flip side I've met many people who seem to spend an inordinate amount of time doing steps that a computer could do, but worse. I think the important bit is to have tight integration between the person writing the code and the person with the domain-specific knowledge that the code is performing - ideally they should be the same person. As we move away from seeing computer programming as a specialised skill for a class of elite engineers and towards something just generally useful like reading and writing, I can see this yielding huge dividends economically.

fijiaarone 5y ago
Being able to code puts you in the top 10% of the IQ bell curve. Being able to see the value in automating something and being able to implement it puts you in the top 1%. That’s not meant as flattery, it’s just pointing out that the efficiency gains of universal computer literacy will not be realized.
- lifeisstillgood 5y ago
  "They used to say you could not teach women to read" I disagree - we spend years from age two teaching literacy. It's a skill that needs practise, but it's a relatively new invention that has enormous benefits. Software is too. (Mind blowing fact: The walls of jericho were built 2,000 years before writing was invented)
- diffeomorphism 5y ago
  At a high level maybe, but basic coding is succesfully taught in middle schools. If you needed to be "10%" for that, those classes would fail horribly. > will not be realized. Not quickly, but give it a few decades. In particular, you will probably have to wait for another generation of teachers.
  - AussieWog93 5y ago
    >At a high level maybe, but basic coding is succesfully taught in middle schools. Exactly this. Not everyone can work for Google (or even for a B-grade software firm!), but in many instances all you need to do is string a couple of libraries together in order to get order-of-magnitude productivity gains.
lifeisstillgood 5y ago
Yes ! I call it software literacy. welcome to the dark side, we have cookies :-)

fijiaarone 5y ago

Being able to code puts you in the top 10% of the IQ bell curve. Being able to see the value in automating something and being able to implement it puts you in the top 1%. That’s not meant as flattery, it’s just pointing out that the efficiency gains of universal computer literacy will not be realized.

lifeisstillgood 5y ago
"They used to say you could not teach women to read" I disagree - we spend years from age two teaching literacy. It's a skill that needs practise, but it's a relatively new invention that has enormous benefits. Software is too. (Mind blowing fact: The walls of jericho were built 2,000 years before writing was invented)
diffeomorphism 5y ago
At a high level maybe, but basic coding is succesfully taught in middle schools. If you needed to be "10%" for that, those classes would fail horribly. > will not be realized. Not quickly, but give it a few decades. In particular, you will probably have to wait for another generation of teachers.
- AussieWog93 5y ago
  >At a high level maybe, but basic coding is succesfully taught in middle schools. Exactly this. Not everyone can work for Google (or even for a B-grade software firm!), but in many instances all you need to do is string a couple of libraries together in order to get order-of-magnitude productivity gains.

lifeisstillgood 5y ago

Yes ! I call it software literacy. welcome to the dark side, we have cookies :-)