Comment Re:Suck it Millenials (Score 1) 407
Nice points. I have two kids under 6 right now and was starting to worry about how smart phones might replace computers for most of what they do and thus never expose them to an easy to program platform. What's really exciting for them is the abundance of hobbyist computers and embedded project kits available now. They're going to grow up in a world where simple microcontroller-style projects are completely accessible to them. Makes me almost want to be 6 again!
Today, I can teach my kids some basic UI programming with HTML/CSS/Javascript (not much harder than VB) to get them familiar with high level concepts. I can also get them a BrickPi or any other embedded(ish) system and teach them how hardware works and how to interface with external devices. What a great time to learn technology!
Millennials, by and large, got shafted when it comes to learning how computers work. Most of them went to school when Java was the only language being taught and Linux was becoming too complicated to easily understand for the casual user. When they started working, a little Javascript and CSS got them really far. There weren't many opportunities to really understand how the full stack works. And, with the rise of social media and apps, their exposure to technology was more social than technical. As others in this thread have pointed out, being able to use a simple UI on an iPhone doesn't make you the technology whiz that the media keeps saying you are.
Millennials can still catch up, but I think the next generation is the one that's really going to be primed to do amazing things.
-Chris