People want to learn to code?
By
Dave Winer on Sunday, April 01, 2012 at 3:06 PM.
 I'm flat-out seriously shocked (no April Fool) that there's this new trend of non-programmers wanting to learn to code. I have a feeling that when they find out what coding is like, it's going to turn out there's something else they're thinking of. I'd like to get a sense of what they're looking for? Are you trying to acquire a skill? Is there software you want to see made but can't get anyone to make it for you? Are you curious, do you want to know how computers work so you can have a better idea of where we're going? Are you seeing programmers get rich and you'd like to get some too? All of these are valid reasons to want to do anything, btw -- I'm not judging -- I just want to understand.  Something like this may have happened when blogging was catching on. I know a lot of people thought that when they started that they would be heard by lots of other people. And they had good reason to believe this, because people were telling them it was so.
As someone who has been programming for a long time, and who loves it -- I think this is an unusual thing. But if it turns out that programming is like driving a car, and everyone can do it, and lots of people actually do it -- I would be very pleased. Because people who are making software for themselves are hard to push around. And they will demand real computers, not the limited kind (i.e. iPads, iPhones) that are becoming popular (I use them myself, so this isn't judgment either).
However, I think people would be better off starting to get into it in a more gentle way. Start by running your own server. That could involve a little programming . And you'll be getting a solid basis in why you would want to program in the first place. Setting up systems that make your life easier. Automating things you do manually that a computer could do for you, perhaps better.
But this is a very interesting development no matter what.
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