The other factor is access to youtube to find likeminded people and have things explained and see what is possible. When I was young I loved computers but even install Linux or learn machine code seemed like this impenetrable world that was “for adults”. I think the modern internet is great for people sharing knowhow.

That said this man is a genius!

Disagree. Didn't have YouTube, Google, etc and still cracked video game protections when i was 10.

Nobody is saying that Youtube/Google/etc are necessary. Clearly people managed to do cool and clever things before those resources were available.

It's beyond obvious, though, that having good resources is helpful and opens this kind of thing up to a larger number of participants.

What were your resources to learn this?

"Unzip rar file, copy, paste."

Probably just used warez from torrents like everyone else did when they were that age.

> That is not to take anything away from his achievements

The entire purpose of mentioning his privilege at all is to take away from his achievements. Otherwise, why mention it. Surely it is obvious to all who read the article that you would have had to have access to capital to do what he did?

If you want to believe my opinion is something other than the one I'm explicitly stating, that is a very strange decision.

For the record: I'm not sure how much more clear I can be, but I do not feel that it takes away from his achievements whatsoever. I made my statement in reply to another poster who seemed to have the impression that this level of opportunity was the norm in America. That was the full extent of my "purpose."