News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Blurring the Line Between User and Programmer by tempodox on Friday October 25, 2019 @08:25AM (#21354262)
According to my own distinction, Blurring the Line Between User and Programmer is unpossible:

A user is someone who asks why a software is not working (and even in the 21st century this is still far more common than it should be).

A programmer is someone who asks why and how a software is working. Eventually this also includes failure modes, so the user's question above will not stay unanswered forever.

Re:Blurring the Line Between User and Programmer by mcherm on Friday October 25, 2019 @10:50AM (#21355544)
> Blurring the Line Between User and Programmer is unpossible

And why on earth do you believe that this difference in mindset cannot be taught?

Re:Blurring the Line Between User and Programmer by scroot on Friday October 25, 2019 @11:28AM (#21355952)
This is (sort of) one of the sticking points people like Kay and especially Papert made. Because all computing is interactive, it is always an ongoing part of a more general "learning process." There are many types of learners and ways that they can internalize otherwise complex systems/concepts. It is the job of the computing environment to be flexible enough to take advantage of each person's particular method for learning how to properly (and powerfully) manipulate it.

Lots of talk about spreadsheets in here, and rightly so. See also Hypercard. These systems are (were) incredibly popular, and regular people were able to do things with them that they could not in other media. It's largely because the systems they represented were well designed -- not because people had some particular competency in "abstract thought" or "systems thinking." We are all human and, for the most part, we all do that stuff one way or another.

Re:Blurring the Line Between User and Programmer by Supermancho on Friday October 25, 2019 @12:14PM (#21356436)
It is near impossible to teach a mindset that is not desired.