Literacy: Natural Language vs. Code

sirReal.83. writes "The Guardian has an article by Dylan Evans, author of Introducing Evolutionary Psychology. The article discusses literacy in computer languages, and suggests that we are in the 'technological middle ages.' Cuddly UI's are the manifestation of wishful thinking; just as we try to make computers to adapt to us, we must adapt to them." Some good points are raised, with the example of the command line interface used, which is a much better choice than, say, an array of switches or a punch card.

Comments

Re:still amazed

[dreamchaser]

That's exactly how it should be. A computer is just another tool. Do most people understand what goes on inside their microwave? No, they just push the buttons and stuff gets hot.

Re:Empowering users with the command line

[God! Awful 2]

Well said.

-a