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Screen time is only part of it. As a Digital Vegan I'm nore focused on screen quality. The newest command line user in our family is 7. I gave her a Raspberry

Screen time is only part of it. As a Digital Vegan I'm nore focused on screen quality. The newest command line user in our family is 7. I gave her a Raspberry Pi last Christmas and loaded one thing; a python shell "PlayOS" that I wrote to make everything a three or four letter command. The idea is to improve her reading and writing/typing by putting everything she wants a few keystrokes away on the command line. So far we have: music - plays a random tune from her music collection music abba - selects something more specific see - shows something visual, for example; see me - random photos from the holiday album see octonauts - an undersea cartoon plays read - stories and rhymes say - make the computer speak (festival - which she calls robot voice) Basically, each time she expresses an interest I add a python tuple which is a parsing template like alias + exec. After that she memorises the command. By 9 I expect her to have mastered a computer by typing, including sending emails to mom and dad etc. When she's had enough she knows the poweroff command - which it's own kind of fun. Most of her friends drag their fingers over images on tablets. They get into a tantrum if it's taken away from them. They are addicts before they are 10. Hopefully I'm helping build a life-long skill, but I dread the day her friends, pawing at screen like retarded monkeys, tell her that phones are better :) Yes, there are physiological reasons to limit screen time too. But that's not my threat model at present. Time to boredom on PlayOS is always less than 1 hour.

A4ET8a8uTh0 4y ago
I really like the idea ( and it is likely not a bad way to introduce the kid to command line eventually ). Consider adding it on github ( or similar ). I am relatively certain you will get an audience for it.
88stacks 4y ago
amazing, can you write a full blog post about this.I want to do something similar.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
patrickdavey 4y ago
Love this idea. Could you just expand a little on PlayOS? It's this running an underlying OS which then boots into a bash console running your repl? Just curious, would love to do something similar (or use yours if it was available!)
- nonrandomstring 4y ago
  Sure. My first response to "let's do computers daddy" was to install a kids KDE Linux with some things like TuXPaint and whatever. But I noticed she really wanted to be doing what I was doing - typing. Also I had to launch everything. And it seemed inevitable that within minutes alone with the machine she'd accidentally get into desktop configuration and hide the task bar or something. So then I thought, what about just Bash? That didn't work so well either, and I ended up aliasing so many commands to simpler things - but it was a step in the right direction. So now I just launch into a "kiosk mode shell" made in python that dispatches the commands we talk about together. We say... wouldn't it be cool if a computer could do this or that, and then I think about how to make that a single three letter command with a few options. I'd love it if she'd get into bash or programming properly as another commenter's kid did, but I won't push it, this is foundation work. There's every possibility she'll say "I'm bored with computers dad" and I'll just have to try not to be broken-hearted :) Perhaps the main aim is to cultivate a respect and healthy attitude for real computers, so tablets and phones seem like the toys they are.
floren 4y ago
I think this is great! I'm curious, though; how much time does she spend on `see octonauts`? I've seen the way kids get absolutely glued to the current crop of CGI kid shows (ye gods the pacing is frenetic) and I guess I'd expect most kids to just mash the button like a rat in a Skinner box, so I'm pleasantly surprised to hear you say she spends less than an hour at a time.
mr_sturd 4y ago
That sounds like good fun! My four-year-old daughter likes to play on an old net book that we have. She pretends she's working like she's seen Mam and Dad do around the house due to the pandemic. I've only shown her the text editor where she'll type her name and other words. Stealthily teaching spelling and typing through play. Would say it's usually about 20 minutes to boredom at the moment!
tsunamifury 4y ago
I applaud your purposeful-ness with your daughter but: I would strongly recommend that calling her friends “retarded monkeys” is a mentality that will do far far more damage in the long run than any screen time. Being right and being self righteous are too very different things. Be purposeful there too. I say this as someone who struggles with passing on the same problematic mentalities to my children. Edit: parent removed the statement.
- themitigating 4y ago
  What's odd and maybe telling of this person's mentality is that calling them monkeys would have been sufficient since he said "pawing at".
  - inthepipe 4y ago
    Monkeys don't even have paws.
    - Oxidation 4y ago
      They definitely can be called that, even if not technically correct: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkey%27s_Paw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkey%27s_Paw Urgh, now I'm one of those "actually, language is how people use it" types. Literally.
    - LarryMullins 4y ago
      Paw is sometimes an informal/humorous word for 'hand'.
      - hgsgm 4y ago
        "paw" means "hand without functional fingers". Monkeys can type. And as HN shows, being able to type doesn't make someone smarter than someone who can manipulate visual objects. Does Thread OP "paw" at a Rubik's cube or LEGO?
    - googlryas 4y ago
fipar 4y ago
That's an interesting approach though I'd avoid comparing her friends to retarded monkeys. I can tell you from experience she might actually enjoy hanging around some of the 'retarded monkeys' and the knowledge that mum or dad feels that way about them is an unnecessary source of tension.
thethethethe 4y ago
"retarded monkeys" Yikes
- bendbro 4y ago
  [flagged]
  - LarryMullins 4y ago
    Nice satire.
    - bendbro 4y ago
      I didn't include a /s.
      - LarryMullins 4y ago
        I wouldn't have complimented your satire had you spoonfed it.
      - layer8 4y ago
        Wouldn’t have upvoted you otherwise.
  - thethethethe 4y ago
    > Perhaps a 2 week ban and a violence prevention course Too tame, let's call their boss and get them fired. /s obviously
- the_doctah 4y ago
  [flagged]
  - thethethethe 4y ago
    It's more of a cringe than outrage. And yeah, you are right, words do have meaning, which is exactly why we should be intentional with our words. Saying retarded has been uncouth for a lot longer than five years, not sure where you have been. I've had plenty of time to think about it for myself.
Karrot_Kream 4y ago
I had a friend raised like this in a millennial context. Strict diet of restricted TV and computers, 1 hour a day for each. Cable TV was banned, network television only. Books were all him and his sibling were allowed to interact with. He was homeschooled for a bit. In high school he discovered World of Warcraft, through chance. He started playing at school. Then sneaking over to friends houses to play. Then did everything in his power at home to play WoW. He became hopelessly addicted. For 2 years all he could do was play WoW. It had a huge effect on his grades and his friends. While I don't know all that happened, I think he was just unprepared to deal with modern digital consumption appetites that the rest of us grew up with.
- Sakos 4y ago
  I'm not sure any of us have figured it out. I grew up with the internet and video games. I was hopelessly addicted to Counterstrike for 15 years. I don't think kids should have complete (unsupervised) control over their own entertainment, but it's clear that strict limits aren't sufficient. I think people have been looking at it from the wrong perspective and you hit the nail on the head. He was unprepared, yes, but... How exactly are we preparing our kids for the internet and video games? This is something we aren't talking or thinking about. Putting limits isn't enough. It's like forcing abstinence on kids without trying to teach them safe sex or about healthy relationships or character values. I think there should be some limits, but there also needs to be an effort to cultivate interests/skills/experiences outside of gaming as well as a stronger focus on personal values/responsibility and philosophy in general.
  - __turbobrew__ 4y ago
    I would recommend reading “Indistractible” by Nir Eyql if you are looking for more tools for this
    - nonrandomstring 4y ago
      +1 for this. "Nir Eyal" btw. From excerpts, it's a very good guide with plenty of common sense psychology and practical advice.
blub 4y ago
I find it strange how you’re so proud that you’re teaching them a very niche - and outside system administration and programming obsolete - way of interacting with computers. There are excellent GUIs to learn that will make them more productive with computers and also make them feel like they have some skills that may actually impress other kids instead of making them look weird. These kinds of projects read to me like using the kid as an excuse to build something that the parent thinks is cool. And then it starts to make sense, because you obviously think that the command line is cool and look down on the kids which use touch screens. The bad news for you is that the child’s social circle decides what’s cool, not the parent.
- googlryas 4y ago
  Parents teach their own niche skills to their children all the time. Which is why for most of history, children entered the field their parents worked in. Cobblers begat cobblers, potters begat potters, etc.
- tester457 4y ago
  Is cool what really matters? His child being confident in the terminal is a good skill to have, her typing skills will transfer over to her writing for the many essays of highschool, so she'll be productive faster than other kids. > you’re teaching them a very niche - and outside system administration and programming obsolete - way of interacting with computers. Most people are scared of the command line, but she has an edge knowing it. It will open the door to countless productivity benefits in the future, she could automate a lot of her future work in her own creative way that modern guis don't allow. Small cli scripts go a long way in practically any job. Sadly most people still waste hours on spreadsheets and the like when they could spend minutes in many cases.
- nonrandomstring 4y ago
  > These kinds of projects read to me like using the kid as an excuse to build something that the parent thinks is cool. It is, and that's actually very healthy and okay. It's called co-construction. I'd urge you to read educational theorists like Friere - building motivation through shared interests etc. You're possibly mistaking what I'm doing from actually trying to teach bash and python etc. That would be insane. Those, and the whole vocation of coding, may well be dead by the time she's a teenager. It's about engaged parenting.
maximinus_thrax 4y ago
Yikes. With all due respect, in my view, the self-righteousness of this comment dismisses the point it's trying to make. The 'retarded monkeys' comment really sells it... > Most of her friends drag their fingers over images on tablets I guess there's value in thinking your kids are better than other kids. I wonder if you have the same level of transparency involving animal kingdom references with your friends about how their kids use their devices. But anyway, I don't believe the UX is the problem here. The idea is to 'limit' screen time and subsequently information consumption at the ready. Not sure how a command line interface is a solution better than say parental controls with app time limits, over an already existent UX that everyone is familiar with. PS: Your book was on my reading list. Was.
- nonrandomstring 4y ago
  > PS: Your book was on my reading list. Was. You absolutely dodged a bullet there. If you don't like strongly opinionated writing save your time and money. Now, where else could you get such up-front pre-views than HN. Gotta love this place eh?
burkaman 4y ago
The more I reread this the less it makes sense. > each time she expresses an interest I add a python tuple Did you get into computers by intentionally expressing an interest and then having tidbits fed to you by someone? Or did you discover it organically through full access to libraries and the internet and video games and magazines? When she expresses an interest in something you aren't familiar with, will you let her explore it herself or will everything be filtered through you? > By 9 I expect her to have mastered a computer by typing, including sending emails to mom and dad etc. You think she'll be better at typing than kids that are constantly texting and Googling Roblox mods and arguing in YouTube comments? > retarded monkeys This has been addressed enough in other comments. But just to give you an example, I was raised without cable TV because my parents didn't have it. But they didn't call my friends retarded, and they didn't care if I watched some with friends or relatives. As a result, I still didn't watch much TV, but I didn't feel guilty when I did and I didn't feel like I had to hide anything from my parents. I turned out great, and my friends who had a TV in their own bedroom with 1000 channels also turned out great. Access or lack of access to TV has had no discernible impact on anyone I know.
- safety1st 4y ago
  The 'retarded monkeys' characterization was coarse, but I do think there's something special (and especially dangerous) about mobile devices. 1) They're always with you 2) Input capabilities are limited so they tend to encourage consumption over creation 3) They run robust software stacks which enable addictive experiences A general computer sitting on a desk isn't going to be used as often, and when it does get used, it'll be easier to write on. Writing's good for the brain. A television has really limited input capabilities, it's not healthy to watch TV and the "TV rots your brain" concern predates the Internet. But it isn't as addictive as a mobile device. A phone or tablet is the worst of both worlds. I've put a fair bit of effort into reducing my time with those devices in recent years, and I think I'm happier and more productive as a result. If I had a kid I think I would do the same with them.
  - hgsgm 4y ago
    But Thread OP specifically created a command-line consumption environment for his kid.
c22 4y ago
I gave my 5 year old a pc running linux when she learned to read. She became interested in the command line when she saw me using it to help her find a file she had misplaced. I gave her a list of simple commands and let her explore. By the time she was 7 she had full mastery of the command line and was writing her own bash scripts to provide herself with functionality similar to your "PlayOS". The other one never got into it, he prefers to use the gui with the touch screen and mostly consumes minecraft or youtube videos about minecraft. If he needs tech support he asks his sister. I'm fine with all of it. He builds some amazing things in minecraft.
- all2 4y ago
  I love that your kids are on the "opposite" ends of the tech stack. One is achieving mastery of relatively low level software and file manipulation and the other is achieving mastery of high level visual programming.
- pyth0 4y ago
  Maybe you could introduce your other one to command blocks and logic gates in redstone. Not that they have to enjoy computing in that way, but it was a big reason I became interested in the field when I was younger.
invalidOrTaken 4y ago
people are dogging on you and clutching pearls, but this is really cool and cute. I strongly agree that quality of screen time is an important, oft-neglected consideration.
zht 4y ago
I feel bad for your daughter being raised with someone who thinks they are so much better than other people. You may not be calling them retarded monkeys in front of your daughter but I’m sure your sense of superiority comes through. I hope your daughter doesn’t pick it up
weakfortress 4y ago
[flagged]
- lotophage 4y ago
  > As a Digital Vegan... I can now cross "involuntary shoot cappuccino out of my nostrils" off of my bucket list. I don't think that I've ever read a more loaded sentence opener.
MagicMoonlight 4y ago
That’s great. You could try her out on BASIC too, she can write out games from the old magazines and then play them and modify the code. That’ll really get her going without providing her with access to the internet etc
turtleyacht 4y ago
Thank-you for your many comments here. I'd like them to use computers early, but to make the operation of them have some meaningful friction. The CLI is ideal. Absent television, the older is * Somewhat dedicated to collecting coins. * Partitioning space with rectangles and building (tabletop) "dungeons." * Scrawling random numbers on construction paper we have cut into bill-sized rectangles. * Taping coupons onto popsicle sticks. * Other crafts-related stuff. I try to insert learning moments, like decomposition of problems, making lists and tables, and just try to sneak CS ideas in there. I'd like him to know as much as me before high school, so college can be about applied math/physics and business. Make him a graycat or sysadmin, but with the knowhow to be an owner. Equipping him thus is how I imagine a better future could be. I could be wrong. I can only do what I know. It's the longest project I have undertaken. Once he can read, the world opens up: the library, my vast trove of Humble Bundle ebooks, the Great Books, textbooks, etc.
europeanguy 4y ago
> Hopefully I'm helping build a life-long skill A low value skill. What you're teaching is how to use a keyboard, not how to use a computer. Best case scenario by college she will have graduated to become a code monkey.
oefnak 4y ago
Can you please share your code?
type0 4y ago
> pawing at screen like retarded monkeys, tell her that phones are better :) Well, my relatives in their 40s keep telling me that each time I suggest they get a real PC.

A4ET8a8uTh0 4y ago

I really like the idea ( and it is likely not a bad way to introduce the kid to command line eventually ). Consider adding it on github ( or similar ). I am relatively certain you will get an audience for it.

88stacks 4y ago

amazing, can you write a full blog post about this.I want to do something similar.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

patrickdavey 4y ago

Love this idea. Could you just expand a little on PlayOS? It's this running an underlying OS which then boots into a bash console running your repl? Just curious, would love to do something similar (or use yours if it was available!)

nonrandomstring 4y ago
Sure. My first response to "let's do computers daddy" was to install a kids KDE Linux with some things like TuXPaint and whatever. But I noticed she really wanted to be doing what I was doing - typing. Also I had to launch everything. And it seemed inevitable that within minutes alone with the machine she'd accidentally get into desktop configuration and hide the task bar or something. So then I thought, what about just Bash? That didn't work so well either, and I ended up aliasing so many commands to simpler things - but it was a step in the right direction. So now I just launch into a "kiosk mode shell" made in python that dispatches the commands we talk about together. We say... wouldn't it be cool if a computer could do this or that, and then I think about how to make that a single three letter command with a few options. I'd love it if she'd get into bash or programming properly as another commenter's kid did, but I won't push it, this is foundation work. There's every possibility she'll say "I'm bored with computers dad" and I'll just have to try not to be broken-hearted :) Perhaps the main aim is to cultivate a respect and healthy attitude for real computers, so tablets and phones seem like the toys they are.

floren 4y ago

I think this is great! I'm curious, though; how much time does she spend on `see octonauts`? I've seen the way kids get absolutely glued to the current crop of CGI kid shows (ye gods the pacing is frenetic) and I guess I'd expect most kids to just mash the button like a rat in a Skinner box, so I'm pleasantly surprised to hear you say she spends less than an hour at a time.

mr_sturd 4y ago

That sounds like good fun! My four-year-old daughter likes to play on an old net book that we have. She pretends she's working like she's seen Mam and Dad do around the house due to the pandemic. I've only shown her the text editor where she'll type her name and other words. Stealthily teaching spelling and typing through play. Would say it's usually about 20 minutes to boredom at the moment!

tsunamifury 4y ago

I applaud your purposeful-ness with your daughter but: I would strongly recommend that calling her friends “retarded monkeys” is a mentality that will do far far more damage in the long run than any screen time. Being right and being self righteous are too very different things. Be purposeful there too. I say this as someone who struggles with passing on the same problematic mentalities to my children. Edit: parent removed the statement.

themitigating 4y ago
What's odd and maybe telling of this person's mentality is that calling them monkeys would have been sufficient since he said "pawing at".
- inthepipe 4y ago
  Monkeys don't even have paws.
  - Oxidation 4y ago
    They definitely can be called that, even if not technically correct: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkey%27s_Paw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkey%27s_Paw Urgh, now I'm one of those "actually, language is how people use it" types. Literally.
  - LarryMullins 4y ago
    Paw is sometimes an informal/humorous word for 'hand'.
    - hgsgm 4y ago
      "paw" means "hand without functional fingers". Monkeys can type. And as HN shows, being able to type doesn't make someone smarter than someone who can manipulate visual objects. Does Thread OP "paw" at a Rubik's cube or LEGO?
  - googlryas 4y ago

fipar 4y ago

That's an interesting approach though I'd avoid comparing her friends to retarded monkeys. I can tell you from experience she might actually enjoy hanging around some of the 'retarded monkeys' and the knowledge that mum or dad feels that way about them is an unnecessary source of tension.

thethethethe 4y ago

"retarded monkeys" Yikes

bendbro 4y ago
[flagged]
- LarryMullins 4y ago
  Nice satire.
  - bendbro 4y ago
    I didn't include a /s.
    - LarryMullins 4y ago
      I wouldn't have complimented your satire had you spoonfed it.
    - layer8 4y ago
      Wouldn’t have upvoted you otherwise.
- thethethethe 4y ago
  > Perhaps a 2 week ban and a violence prevention course Too tame, let's call their boss and get them fired. /s obviously
the_doctah 4y ago
[flagged]
- thethethethe 4y ago
  It's more of a cringe than outrage. And yeah, you are right, words do have meaning, which is exactly why we should be intentional with our words. Saying retarded has been uncouth for a lot longer than five years, not sure where you have been. I've had plenty of time to think about it for myself.

Karrot_Kream 4y ago

I had a friend raised like this in a millennial context. Strict diet of restricted TV and computers, 1 hour a day for each. Cable TV was banned, network television only. Books were all him and his sibling were allowed to interact with. He was homeschooled for a bit. In high school he discovered World of Warcraft, through chance. He started playing at school. Then sneaking over to friends houses to play. Then did everything in his power at home to play WoW. He became hopelessly addicted. For 2 years all he could do was play WoW. It had a huge effect on his grades and his friends. While I don't know all that happened, I think he was just unprepared to deal with modern digital consumption appetites that the rest of us grew up with.

Sakos 4y ago
I'm not sure any of us have figured it out. I grew up with the internet and video games. I was hopelessly addicted to Counterstrike for 15 years. I don't think kids should have complete (unsupervised) control over their own entertainment, but it's clear that strict limits aren't sufficient. I think people have been looking at it from the wrong perspective and you hit the nail on the head. He was unprepared, yes, but... How exactly are we preparing our kids for the internet and video games? This is something we aren't talking or thinking about. Putting limits isn't enough. It's like forcing abstinence on kids without trying to teach them safe sex or about healthy relationships or character values. I think there should be some limits, but there also needs to be an effort to cultivate interests/skills/experiences outside of gaming as well as a stronger focus on personal values/responsibility and philosophy in general.
- __turbobrew__ 4y ago
  I would recommend reading “Indistractible” by Nir Eyql if you are looking for more tools for this
  - nonrandomstring 4y ago
    +1 for this. "Nir Eyal" btw. From excerpts, it's a very good guide with plenty of common sense psychology and practical advice.

blub 4y ago

I find it strange how you’re so proud that you’re teaching them a very niche - and outside system administration and programming obsolete - way of interacting with computers. There are excellent GUIs to learn that will make them more productive with computers and also make them feel like they have some skills that may actually impress other kids instead of making them look weird. These kinds of projects read to me like using the kid as an excuse to build something that the parent thinks is cool. And then it starts to make sense, because you obviously think that the command line is cool and look down on the kids which use touch screens. The bad news for you is that the child’s social circle decides what’s cool, not the parent.

googlryas 4y ago
Parents teach their own niche skills to their children all the time. Which is why for most of history, children entered the field their parents worked in. Cobblers begat cobblers, potters begat potters, etc.
tester457 4y ago
Is cool what really matters? His child being confident in the terminal is a good skill to have, her typing skills will transfer over to her writing for the many essays of highschool, so she'll be productive faster than other kids. > you’re teaching them a very niche - and outside system administration and programming obsolete - way of interacting with computers. Most people are scared of the command line, but she has an edge knowing it. It will open the door to countless productivity benefits in the future, she could automate a lot of her future work in her own creative way that modern guis don't allow. Small cli scripts go a long way in practically any job. Sadly most people still waste hours on spreadsheets and the like when they could spend minutes in many cases.
nonrandomstring 4y ago
> These kinds of projects read to me like using the kid as an excuse to build something that the parent thinks is cool. It is, and that's actually very healthy and okay. It's called co-construction. I'd urge you to read educational theorists like Friere - building motivation through shared interests etc. You're possibly mistaking what I'm doing from actually trying to teach bash and python etc. That would be insane. Those, and the whole vocation of coding, may well be dead by the time she's a teenager. It's about engaged parenting.

maximinus_thrax 4y ago

Yikes. With all due respect, in my view, the self-righteousness of this comment dismisses the point it's trying to make. The 'retarded monkeys' comment really sells it... > Most of her friends drag their fingers over images on tablets I guess there's value in thinking your kids are better than other kids. I wonder if you have the same level of transparency involving animal kingdom references with your friends about how their kids use their devices. But anyway, I don't believe the UX is the problem here. The idea is to 'limit' screen time and subsequently information consumption at the ready. Not sure how a command line interface is a solution better than say parental controls with app time limits, over an already existent UX that everyone is familiar with. PS: Your book was on my reading list. Was.

nonrandomstring 4y ago
> PS: Your book was on my reading list. Was. You absolutely dodged a bullet there. If you don't like strongly opinionated writing save your time and money. Now, where else could you get such up-front pre-views than HN. Gotta love this place eh?

burkaman 4y ago

The more I reread this the less it makes sense. > each time she expresses an interest I add a python tuple Did you get into computers by intentionally expressing an interest and then having tidbits fed to you by someone? Or did you discover it organically through full access to libraries and the internet and video games and magazines? When she expresses an interest in something you aren't familiar with, will you let her explore it herself or will everything be filtered through you? > By 9 I expect her to have mastered a computer by typing, including sending emails to mom and dad etc. You think she'll be better at typing than kids that are constantly texting and Googling Roblox mods and arguing in YouTube comments? > retarded monkeys This has been addressed enough in other comments. But just to give you an example, I was raised without cable TV because my parents didn't have it. But they didn't call my friends retarded, and they didn't care if I watched some with friends or relatives. As a result, I still didn't watch much TV, but I didn't feel guilty when I did and I didn't feel like I had to hide anything from my parents. I turned out great, and my friends who had a TV in their own bedroom with 1000 channels also turned out great. Access or lack of access to TV has had no discernible impact on anyone I know.

safety1st 4y ago
The 'retarded monkeys' characterization was coarse, but I do think there's something special (and especially dangerous) about mobile devices. 1) They're always with you 2) Input capabilities are limited so they tend to encourage consumption over creation 3) They run robust software stacks which enable addictive experiences A general computer sitting on a desk isn't going to be used as often, and when it does get used, it'll be easier to write on. Writing's good for the brain. A television has really limited input capabilities, it's not healthy to watch TV and the "TV rots your brain" concern predates the Internet. But it isn't as addictive as a mobile device. A phone or tablet is the worst of both worlds. I've put a fair bit of effort into reducing my time with those devices in recent years, and I think I'm happier and more productive as a result. If I had a kid I think I would do the same with them.
- hgsgm 4y ago
  But Thread OP specifically created a command-line consumption environment for his kid.

c22 4y ago

I gave my 5 year old a pc running linux when she learned to read. She became interested in the command line when she saw me using it to help her find a file she had misplaced. I gave her a list of simple commands and let her explore. By the time she was 7 she had full mastery of the command line and was writing her own bash scripts to provide herself with functionality similar to your "PlayOS". The other one never got into it, he prefers to use the gui with the touch screen and mostly consumes minecraft or youtube videos about minecraft. If he needs tech support he asks his sister. I'm fine with all of it. He builds some amazing things in minecraft.

all2 4y ago
I love that your kids are on the "opposite" ends of the tech stack. One is achieving mastery of relatively low level software and file manipulation and the other is achieving mastery of high level visual programming.
pyth0 4y ago
Maybe you could introduce your other one to command blocks and logic gates in redstone. Not that they have to enjoy computing in that way, but it was a big reason I became interested in the field when I was younger.

invalidOrTaken 4y ago

people are dogging on you and clutching pearls, but this is really cool and cute. I strongly agree that quality of screen time is an important, oft-neglected consideration.

zht 4y ago

I feel bad for your daughter being raised with someone who thinks they are so much better than other people. You may not be calling them retarded monkeys in front of your daughter but I’m sure your sense of superiority comes through. I hope your daughter doesn’t pick it up

weakfortress 4y ago

[flagged]

lotophage 4y ago
> As a Digital Vegan... I can now cross "involuntary shoot cappuccino out of my nostrils" off of my bucket list. I don't think that I've ever read a more loaded sentence opener.

MagicMoonlight 4y ago

That’s great. You could try her out on BASIC too, she can write out games from the old magazines and then play them and modify the code. That’ll really get her going without providing her with access to the internet etc

turtleyacht 4y ago

Thank-you for your many comments here. I'd like them to use computers early, but to make the operation of them have some meaningful friction. The CLI is ideal. Absent television, the older is * Somewhat dedicated to collecting coins. * Partitioning space with rectangles and building (tabletop) "dungeons." * Scrawling random numbers on construction paper we have cut into bill-sized rectangles. * Taping coupons onto popsicle sticks. * Other crafts-related stuff. I try to insert learning moments, like decomposition of problems, making lists and tables, and just try to sneak CS ideas in there. I'd like him to know as much as me before high school, so college can be about applied math/physics and business. Make him a graycat or sysadmin, but with the knowhow to be an owner. Equipping him thus is how I imagine a better future could be. I could be wrong. I can only do what I know. It's the longest project I have undertaken. Once he can read, the world opens up: the library, my vast trove of Humble Bundle ebooks, the Great Books, textbooks, etc.

europeanguy 4y ago

> Hopefully I'm helping build a life-long skill A low value skill. What you're teaching is how to use a keyboard, not how to use a computer. Best case scenario by college she will have graduated to become a code monkey.

oefnak 4y ago

Can you please share your code?

type0 4y ago

> pawing at screen like retarded monkeys, tell her that phones are better :) Well, my relatives in their 40s keep telling me that each time I suggest they get a real PC.