[nzlug] OSS in Nz schools

[Cliff Pratt]

Stephen Judd wrote:
> 
> It's striking to me how many of my generation learned to program on 
> machines at home in the 80s, and how few younger people I meet have. 
> ("Why Johnny Can't Program")
> 
I'm not sure programming is a skill that is essential. 99% of people use 
computers for work *all day, every day* and have never, ever programmed 
anything in the convential sense.

Hence teaching use and maybe theory of comnputers is essential, but 
programming probably isn't. Logical thinking can be taught without 
computers.

When I went to school there were no computers - anywhere. The first 
programming I did was at college (think tertiary, not secondary) on some 
sort of HP calculator, in RPN. The things were screwed to the desk 
because they were afraid that people would walk of with them. They were 
like a small brick!

Cheers,

Cliff