My Really Basic Github Intro for CS Illiterates | Hacker News Reader

My Really Basic Github Intro for CS Illiterates

blog.knolcano.com

7 pointsstollercyrus11 comments

I'm not seeing the connection between Github and computer science literacy.

Maybe the next article can be, "Using a screw driver, for the diesel engine illiterate."

I think the term "CS illiterate" is not offensive in-and-of itself, especially since it was clearly meant facetiously. However, I think you conflate being cs illiterate (not knowing how to code) with not knowing how to use technology intelligently and being vaguely technophobic (e.g., saving all your files on the desktop). I don't think knowing how to upload data to github leads to cs literacy, but it does seem to be a marker of participation in the cs community and in this case, at least, allows access to others with more cs expertise.

Please change the title of the article so that I can send it to a friend who really needs to read it. I don't want to insult her.

I didn't mean to insult anyone. Many of my friends refer to themselves as CS illiterate in a joking way. I apologize if I offended anyone, definitely not my intention.

What would you recommend changing the title to? For the time being I've just changed it to "Really Basic Github Intro For Non-Techies"

Yes, this is completely obnoxious.

> I’m hoping that you don’t save all of your files on your desktop like my dad does.

> recent @swarthmore grad.

Dude, get over yourself. Don't present an opportunity to toot your own horn as 'helping' someone.

I'm sorry you feel that way. Just trying to add a little humor.

Three of my friends have been able to use these instructions to share some code with me on Github. I figured that I would share the instructions with everyone else.

The odd thing is, I know what github is, I use it, I've done my little share of git... But I have absolutely no idea what "CS" means. Can someone shed a light on that? (Talk about illiterate, huh?)

Also a good point. What does computer science have to do with github? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science

Thanks for the precision. And indeed, I second that question!

You're right that it doesn't have anything to do with Computer Science. A lot of my friends who were asking for help, just lump anything that is outside of their Microsoft Office comfort zone as requiring "CS literacy"

Maybe this tutorial is great, I don't know, but the phrase "CS Illiterates" comes across as pretty tone-deaf.

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