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Why? Most people can't even use a word processor or spreadsheet right now, let alone comprehend algorithms and programming. Besides, we all drive cars and we
by albeec13 13y ago
Why? Most people can't even use a word processor or spreadsheet right now, let alone comprehend algorithms and programming.
Besides, we all drive cars and we all use refrigerators and air conditioners daily. Not everyone knows how those work or is able to fix them. If they did, we'd be a world of "jacks of all trades and experts in none." That's not what got us to this point as a technologically advanced civilization.
It's far more important for everyone to know how to drive properly and safely than it is for them to know how to perform maintenance on their cars. In fact, having everyone do their own car maintenance would probably be just as dangerous as putting programming into the hands of people who don't know how to avoid phishing attacks and computer viruses.
- dragonwriter 13y ago> Most people can't even use a word processor or spreadsheet right now, let alone comprehend algorithms and programming. If you can comprehend written procedures for a task, you can comprehend programming (you might not be able to understand algorithmic analysis, but that's a different issue.) People (especially people that are otherwise knowledge workers) that "can't" do that largely can't because they've been taught that computers are deep magic accessible only to an elite priesthood. I don't think we are at the point where truly universal programming literacy is necessary or practical in the very short term, but just as with writing before it became something universally expected, I think we are at least at the point where we should start to see it as part of the basic repertoire of knowledge workers, even those whose primary job isn't producing computer code.