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Sure - let me answer that with my post for the "Everyone does not need to learn to code" thread. When I say getting more non-programmers programming, I mean it
by jliechti1 13y ago
Sure - let me answer that with my post for the "Everyone does not need to learn to code" thread. When I say getting more non-programmers programming, I mean it from more of a practical standpoint.
My previous post:
"From a practical standpoint, I really wish everyone was taught enough programming to know how to automate basic manipulation of text data. I see way too many people editing long lists of data by hand, when there are much better ways to go about it (even Excel works great for this kind of stuff).
Just knowing this setup below can let you do some really power automation of manual tasks and can save you a lot of time.
Example template in Python:
import csv
with open('mydata.csv', 'r') as csvfile:
reader = csv.reader(csvfile, delimiter=',', quotechar='"')
for row in reader:
# Data manipulation here
"
Link: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6237430 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6237430
I'd also recommend looking at Jach's post (the child post of my post in the link) - I thought he made some really good points/critiques about 'tool-based' vs 'concept-based' teaching.
- albeec13 13y agoI agree with you to a point. Yes, I think computer literacy is very important, and far too many people think of computers/tablets/phones as magic boxes that show pretty pictures when you click/touch things. Your Excel example, to me, falls into that category. Learning to use a word processor or spreadsheet application is something that is increasingly necessary in today's world, and I am often surprised by how few people (including, shockingly, many software developers) know how to effectively use them. I just don't feel like taking it all the way to "everyone must learn to program" is a good idea, any more than "everyone must learn to perform open-heart surgery" is. Based on your comments, I think we actually agree.