3 ms·

It's funny...because this is exactly me. When I was a kid circa 2000, I learned to program because I found one of these exact Usborne books at the local library

It's funny...because this is exactly me. When I was a kid circa 2000, I learned to program because I found one of these exact Usborne books at the local library. The idea that people who didn't work for Microsoft could develop software hadn't exactly occurred to me until I found that book and learned the basics. Of course, I didn't have a computer with a BASIC interpreter to run the listings, so I searched for more books and ended up porting the BASIC listings to JavaScript and running them in Internet Explorer 4. That also got me into learning how to build web pages by hand. There are more resources than ever if you already want to learn to program, but it's still hard to cross that threshold from using computers to realizing that learning to program them is something approachable. Microsoft and Apple have both always promoted this sort of learned helplessness with their users, treating the GUI like a tangible thing and not providing obvious tools that encourage programming.

zozbot234 4y ago
Microsoft Windows actually shipped with a BASIC interpreter in the IE4 days. And Apple had Hypercard.
- cubano 4y ago
  Oh the horror stories I have using that built in MS-BASIC without an UPS and living in Central Florida with all the lightning... I must have spent half the developement time of my early programs simply retyping in stuff that I had done the day before but lost without saving it.
musicale 4y ago
> Microsoft and Apple have both always promoted this sort of learned helplessness with their users, treating the GUI like a tangible thing and not providing obvious tools that encourage programming It's not exactly helplessness, since programming is no longer required to do the many things that you can do with the millions of apps and web sites that are at your fingertips, and you no longer need to type in (and probably debug) a long program just to play a game. And Microsoft has actually provided BASIC for ~45 years (currently Visual Basic .NET and VBscript, as well as the Small Basic learning language), while Apple provides Swift Playgrounds (a nice onramp to Swift that can also create full apps.) And every web browser includes JavaScript. But as you note the key part is obvious tools that encourage programming. I too would like to see platform owners make programming onramps more obvious and easily accessible. A good start might be adding a CODE button to web browsers to bring up a user-friendly JavaScript programming environment. Another idea might be providing an installation option to include tutorial and professional programming environments. Another might be for the Xbox (and Game Pass) to include game creation tools (I also like Dreams for the PlayStation but it hasn't really caught on.) At the end of the day though I wouldn't expect it things to change too much because programming requires a lot of effort for minimal reward compared to visiting a web site or downloading a new app or game, while commercial apps and games have largely moved beyond what a single person can create.
- magic_hamster 4y ago
  >commercial apps and games have largely moved beyond what a single person can create. The creators of collosal hits such as Stardew Valley, Undertale, Five Nights at Freddy's and Minecraft might object this sentiment. It's entirely possible (not easy though) to create a successful game on your own that competes and surpasses large studios.
- bencollier49 4y ago
  > A good start might be adding a CODE button to web browsers That's a brilliant idea.

zozbot234 4y ago

Microsoft Windows actually shipped with a BASIC interpreter in the IE4 days. And Apple had Hypercard.

cubano 4y ago
Oh the horror stories I have using that built in MS-BASIC without an UPS and living in Central Florida with all the lightning... I must have spent half the developement time of my early programs simply retyping in stuff that I had done the day before but lost without saving it.

musicale 4y ago

> Microsoft and Apple have both always promoted this sort of learned helplessness with their users, treating the GUI like a tangible thing and not providing obvious tools that encourage programming It's not exactly helplessness, since programming is no longer required to do the many things that you can do with the millions of apps and web sites that are at your fingertips, and you no longer need to type in (and probably debug) a long program just to play a game. And Microsoft has actually provided BASIC for ~45 years (currently Visual Basic .NET and VBscript, as well as the Small Basic learning language), while Apple provides Swift Playgrounds (a nice onramp to Swift that can also create full apps.) And every web browser includes JavaScript. But as you note the key part is obvious tools that encourage programming. I too would like to see platform owners make programming onramps more obvious and easily accessible. A good start might be adding a CODE button to web browsers to bring up a user-friendly JavaScript programming environment. Another idea might be providing an installation option to include tutorial and professional programming environments. Another might be for the Xbox (and Game Pass) to include game creation tools (I also like Dreams for the PlayStation but it hasn't really caught on.) At the end of the day though I wouldn't expect it things to change too much because programming requires a lot of effort for minimal reward compared to visiting a web site or downloading a new app or game, while commercial apps and games have largely moved beyond what a single person can create.

magic_hamster 4y ago
>commercial apps and games have largely moved beyond what a single person can create. The creators of collosal hits such as Stardew Valley, Undertale, Five Nights at Freddy's and Minecraft might object this sentiment. It's entirely possible (not easy though) to create a successful game on your own that competes and surpasses large studios.
bencollier49 4y ago
> A good start might be adding a CODE button to web browsers That's a brilliant idea.