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> As in, being able to download files, move them around in Explorer on Windows or Finder on Mac, understanding nested directory structures, and find them again
by Spivak 2y ago
> As in, being able to download files, move them around in Explorer on Windows or Finder on Mac, understanding nested directory structures, and find them again
I mean they were using computers, just a different mode of computing. I think the take-away is that these things just aren't as intuitive as we assume they are. The filesystem is a fairly complex abstraction with an huge API that grew organically over a long period of time and the user-facing interface modeled a paper-oriented office with filing cabinets and briefcases that doesn't exist anymore.
I would approach it backwards if I was teaching it today where you code in an all-in-one dev environment where the fact that say Python modules are files doesn't really matter. And then the filesysrem is presented as the way to persist data across program invocations.
- SR2Z 2y agoI mean, the filesystem is just hierarchical organization. It's not even really a computer skill - I remember being taught how to use an encyclopedia in school with its index. The UI is not a big deal because graphically, there are only so many ways to represent a hierarchy. Even 3d file managers are pretty intuitive because the base data structure is simple. It's really easy to use a computer when someone has already programmed it to do the things you want. It's much harder to use one as a machine that can be programmed to do anything.