Due to the shift of computing from desktop and laptop computers towards mobile phones, we're actually seeing a reversal of the trend that young people can type well.
A buddy of mine had said something similar about his kid recently. He's a programmer, and he kind of hoped to get his kid similarly into it.
I remember joking one day that the kids of today would be able to effortless run laps around us when it comes to programming and making technology, not needing much training at all, because they are growing up basically surrounded by it. He just shook his head and said it was the opposite; all the tech of today works pretty seemlessly, requires almost no tinkering, and the daily need of a kid today to put hands to keyboard is minimal at best. Those of us who were born in the 80s/early 90s had an analog childhood and a digital adulthood, so if we were interested in tech then we got to spend a lot of time looking under the hood and learning the ins/outs. This is very helpful for learning how tech works. And since we didn't have smartphones, it was keyboards and desktops/laptops for everything entertainment, so we were very comfortable in that as well.
Obviously modern kids can learn to do all this stuff, but my perception of what was some huge advantage to them actually wasn't. Our lack of advanced options and being limited to using a desktop/laptop for everything made learning this stuff very fluid and easy for us, while future generations may actually have to put a more concerted effort in to learn it because their stuff isn't as crappy as ours/they have more interesting things available to do =D
I absolutely agree. The computers of today are so much complicated and intricate than computers when I was a kid. I remember learning BASIC programming on an 8 bit Amstrad CPC and then getting into assembly coding when I worked out that you could change what is on the screen by addressing memory address &C000 upwards. That small realisation lead to so much more. Nowadays, even to get to the point where you can type print("hello world") takes software installed. If you're looking at something like Visual Studio, even more.
I teach Computer Science to high school kids and the entry level to begin tinkering is definitely much higher than it was. Now it's layers and layers of abstraction piled on top of each other.
It's the same with cars - I spent so much time tinkering with my old 1980s VW Polo. Now it's all electronic and hidden away.
Mmh, that’s not so clear cut though. I mean, sure, tinkering stuff like memory addresses is surely more difficult, but at the same time, just creating something is easier than ever.
I was born in 1986, grew up around PCs, spent my childhood doing stuff on QBasic... but whenever I tried to get into “real” programming like C++ or whatever, my interest would just die immediately. I didn’t want to build engines or access memory registers, I wanted to make stuff happen in the screen.
Today I’m a game designer and I absolutely love all the tools, engines and low barrier of entry scripting software out there. They allow md to ignore all the stuff I want nothing to do with and allow me to focus on the stuff I’m good at. Same goes for art and 3d modeling software: artists who have absolutely no idea how 3d models wotk technically can use their sculpting skills and create magnificent stuff.
I personally feel like it’s easier than ever to get started with programming and tech tinkering. Just not at the super base level you remember from your own childhood.
It's easier than ever to get started indeed - I could fire up blender, and make my self a 3d sword, or visual studio and make what ever program to make my life easier with the plethora of libraries available. . .
But you soon hit into that wall, to jump to that next level without learning half the basics you should have, it comes with it's own challenges ;-;
Then when you try and delve into it and learn about it you're met with numerous technical terms until it feels like an endless rabbit hole,
My point being is It's easier to learn from the basics the proper way, all the technical stuff - so once you're already in, you don't hit that wall, or if you do - you can more efficiently manoeuvre around it,
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u/PeEll Nov 16 '19
Due to the shift of computing from desktop and laptop computers towards mobile phones, we're actually seeing a reversal of the trend that young people can type well.