

President Obama calls on every American to learn code - kojoman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XvmhE1J9PY

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kunai
Call me a cynic, but I'm really indifferent to this entire "everyone should
learn to code" nonsense. There are so many mistruths that Code.org is
spreading that it's shameful.

Let's get down to the biggest one: that with a "little bit of math and
science" you can build the latest video game or write an app.

Buzzer #1. It doesn't take just "a little bit" of math. It takes a TON of
math. Reading CLRS took me a month to master, and that was already _with_ a
background in elementary calculus using the infinitesimal approach. I'm
reading Knuth's seminal "Art of," and I can immediately say that it would be
absolute hell for anyone without an advanced mathematics background.

That brings us to mistruth #2: that somehow, learning to "code" will help
younger people build tomorrow. That's utter bull. Learning to code will only
lead to worse code: uglier, crappier, and less elegant and efficient code.
Github will become a junk pile. Instead of _coding_ , we need to teach
students the _programming_ part of computer science. Get a copy of Algorithms
into every CS course and get rid of all of the silicon in the classroom. Trust
me, people will learn much more meaningful things about problem-solving that
way. Isn't that what writing code really sets out to do? You know, _SOLVE
PROBLEMS?_ Just code is NOT going to help that at ALL.

Then there's problem number 3, and probably the largest one: it assumes that
programming is something we need EVERYONE to learn. EVERYONE. Yes, that is
Code.org's goal. EVERYONE SHOULD CODE.

You know what, fuck it and let's teach EVERYONE TO BE A MECHANIC. Right? Why
the hell not? It's like programming. Nobody in their right minds would tell
people to make mechanical engineering a part of the curriculum. But people
insist on doing the same for CS, as if it's any different.

I could go on about this for days. But forget it, Atwood's explained it far
better than I ever could.

~~~
callum85
> "...absolute hell for anyone without an advanced mathematics background"

I'm a good programmer in a well-paid job. I've never studied mathematics
formally. I've picked up a little knowledge of it from books, but I've almost
never needed it for any programming I've done. Your statement seems crazy to
me.

Of course, if you're reading fucking Knuth then yeah, there's some mathematics
involved, but you seem to be arguing that you can't write an app without it,
which is simply false. I've written apps. No maths beyond basic arithmetic.

