And yet we still have people learn basic math, to read and write, etc. Like doing math with roman numerals, there are many ways the programming can be improved

And yet we still have people learn basic math, to read and write, etc. Like doing math with roman numerals, there are many ways the programming can be improved. We do need better notation, but that doesn't mean there is no part of the process that doesn't require the effort of the human. Programming is about describing how to solve problems. Maybe we call a plumber, but we don't call a math professor to figure out how many plates we need on the table when people are coming to dinner. By you logic, people don't need to be able to read because we have street signs. The ipad is easy to use because it's designed to be tightly constrained. You can only do things that people prepared for you. But solving tightly constrained problems is what computers are good for; if you can't do anymore than that, why are you needed? Throughout history, it was believed that most people didn't need to read and write, or know math, etc. But the core of that argument is anti-humanist. And no, "computer literacy" isn't the answer, (and is a ridiculous term anyway; literacy requires that you be able to express yourself), anymore than "calculator literacy" is the answer to solving math problems. Knowing how to use a tool isn't enough, you have to understand something about what you're trying to accomplish. A calculator isn't going to help you if you don't know what basic math is, and how it applies to the problem you're trying to solve.