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The fundamental problem is that the barrier between using a computer and programming a computer is getting higher. In my day, we had to program uphill through snowdrifts. In both directions!
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Learning to program is not hard, it is expecting people to program in a fully defined environment with a graphical front end, libraries, etc. that makes it hard.
Would any of us think that the vehicle we learn to drive in will be an 18-wheeler or a tank? While some may, that it not the case for most. You start smaller, with something you can manage and then build up.
How about learning program with something simple? Learn the basics, then expand.
Provide them with an environment where they actually have to type in the code, not drag objects onto a screen.
I'd suggest the C64 Mini (whenever it comes out) because it will have a version of BASIC on it, but I'm afraid all people would use it for is a game machine.
And then.. they'd post in QA, "Show me how to write the game..." but not post what they've tried.
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<I'd suggest the C64 Mini (whenever it comes out)>
29/03/2018 UK release date
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Agreed... and thank you for the release date.. I've been watching for it.
Started programming on a Commodore PET in high school; bought my own C-64 in college.
Self-taught C on the C-64.
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It has a non-functioning keyboard though, so you'll have to use a third party tool (like CBM prg Studio) and then 'upload' your program to it.
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Can an standard USB keyboard be used? That was my initial impression.
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I'd like to say "let's hope so" but I'm not sure.
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The social media campaign against crypto was carried out by Central Bank of Poland in conjunction with Polish Youtube partner network Gamellon, Google Ireland Limited, and Facebook Ireland Limited, allocating about 91,000 zloty (around $27,000) for producing anti-crypto content. Two big names who claim to stand for innovation and progress, paying money to prevent just that 
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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The comments section on that page is certainly worth a read.
I'm off to find a colander to put on my head.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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They're comments?
Looked like a cursing-contest to me 
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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And in the meantime, the "crashed" bitcoin is back over 11.000
... such stuff as dreams are made on
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Over my career, I’ve seen a lot of code written just to be safe. "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead."
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"When I add a try block it gets rid of the error but then my code doesn't work"
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In my line of work there is no such thing as "overly" defensive programming because the second you let your guard down (programming wise) very bad things can happen and nearly always do.
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The firm has disclosed another security flaw in Microsoft Edge, after the Redmond giant failed to fix it in the allotted time. I'm sure this is entirely unrelated to the new Browser Wars(tm)
Edge is all the way up over 4% market share (on desktop).
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What if light particles could be made to interact, attracting and repelling each other like atoms in ordinary matter? Does it mean we can bring back those cool black light posters?
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Spreadsheet are a powerful tool that everyone has to learn to use for almost every business jobs.
Yet, when most people come to solve most complexes problems, they want to use VBA language, without even knowing why.
And once they started learning it, they try to use it for any kind of problem, even simple search or rendering.
Today, as an excel teacher, I'm trying to explain to these people why writing VBA macro for any problem while not being educated on computer programming is not only a real waste of time, but also a serious risk for their spreadsheet quality.
For those of you who thought writing a turing machine using Power Point was insufficiently insane.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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I do feel like quibbling with one of his points on why formulas should be preferred to macros:
Quote: Easier to maintain for anyone but professional analyst programmer. (while macro are mostly unusable once the initial developer is gone)
While this is true for basic operations once you start doing crazy stuff in formulas it becomes more self obfuscating than perl.
For my sins in a previous job I wrote a set of formulas to do run length encoding in a spreadsheet. I'm 99% sure that even I couldn't tweak them now if it was needed to make any changes to the encoding step, and would probably struggle to even use the thing again if I needed to. Whereas the intended audience of any reuse of the spreadsheet - EE's - could apply the programming 101 in C they got as part of an embedded hardware class to figure out what the VBA did almost as easily as any conventional programmer who'd successfully avoided VBA his/her entire career could have. And that's before taking into consideration that the macro editor would have allowed me to leave copious comments explaining how it worked.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Dan Neely wrote: For those of you who thought writing a turing machine using Power Point was insufficiently insane.
And for those who have no idea what that reference is to, here you go.
Latest Article - Code Review - What You Can Learn From a Single Line of Code
Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny
Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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This is so awesome 
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A.
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It was captured using a standard DSLR camera and shows the tiniest speck of a positively charged strontium atom. Fortunately, his thumb wasn't in the way
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I've been a bit baffled by this one. If that's a 2mm gap, then that atom is ridiculously large.
Am I missing something?
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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Presumably the atom is not actually motionless (they never are except at absolute zero). On a long exposure, the atom absorbs and re-emits light particles, and that is what is observed over the exposure. (Actually, all any photograph ever records, so not cheating at all). Due to the motion, the atom will appear larger than it actually is (and most of the structure of an atom is space anyway).
"If you don't fail at least 90 percent of the time, you're not aiming high enough."
Alan Kay.
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Thanks, Rob - I hadn't considered the exposure time!
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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Since the dawn of infosec, the belief that we users are a group of dullard cattle who blindly trade our own security for convenience at every turn has been trumpeted by the stewards of IT and the infosec-arrogant, while bolstered by old research. And yet, the #1 password is 123456 (mine's 124567: super secure!)
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