Does it, though? What evidence do you have?
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I think where we differ is you view languages like Ruby or JS as being simpler because they're apparently easier to get started with - but they are in fact far more complex than the stricter languages, and it takes much, much longer to learn all their hidden details.
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I haven't used the term "simple" or "complex". I am talking about onboarding new developers, and the likely long-term effects on programmer habits (a topic you brought up).
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I know, my point is I'm not convinced that hiding complexity under more complexity is a really helpful way to get people onboard - I think it would be better to teach the fundamentals of a simpler language rather than skipping them with an easy language.
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Of course, this is based on my own experience, which was that most things didn't make sense to me unless someone offered a real explanation. I've always had a hard time with "you don't need to know that yet", which is why I never grasped chemistry ;-)
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I guess maybe I grew up in a different time, when computers were actually simple enough that you could learn every instruction and register etc. - I know that's not feasible for most people anymore, but I don't think languages have changed quite as drastically?
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They absolutely have. For example, even though I've walked the details of function structure in JavaScript it's never relevant to my work. This is the power of abstraction: we aren't just manipulating 1s and 0s: we are building sustainable mythologies in which to collaborate.
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Which is why teaching people programming is so different than teaching computer science: it's more like learning to write than it is like learning to work a machine.
End of conversation
New conversation -
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Oh I like that: it matches the way I think about the stages of mastery as progressing through apprentice, journey and master levels
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