Hacker News Reader

Comment by pchristensen | Hacker News Reader

How long did it take for you to write the machine code that posted this comment?

There is a big difference between having to know the "machine code" of how something works vs. knowing the basic, skeumorphic abstractions that power productivity. However, both of those things seem to be too much for the latest cohort

Nice deflection, but the poster is absolutely right. It's a difficulty I'm having to teach the little ones in my life around. Without the understanding of the real foundational units of computing, but a "flawless" User Experience that results in the ability to get things done regardless, we're decoupling the operating the computer from understanding it, and creating an unhealthy divergence and captive audience. This is unacceptable, and a has terrible implications for the next generation.

Do you think there are (per capita) more or fewer software developers today than there were in 1980? I kind of think the inverse of your point is true, to be frank. On a per capita basis, I think it's it likely that way more people understand the fundamentals of computing.

I just think software has made computing more accessible to people that don't know the fundamentals, which I think is a good thing. I don't think operating computers should be a gatekeeping exercise where you can't use it if you don't understand what machine instructions are, or c.

You misunderstand my definition of fundamentals. I'm talking things like filesystems, networking, protocols, hardware, etc. You can spend an eternity learning all the different Apps on Android or iOS.

Not once will you figure out how to develop one without access to a traditional Desktop system, and an understanding of the fundamental underpinnings thereof. That's changing a bit now with some efforts in the FLOSS space, but it is roughly true today.

While there may be more developers now, I do not see a significant decrease in overall tech illiteracy.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com