Top all-time · #1368
Jenny Gilbert
Personal blog · coding2learn.org · on HN as MarcScottprogrammingculturewriting
Jenny Gilbert writes Coding 2 Learn, a personal blog at coding2learn.org about programming, culture and writing. Since 2013, 54 different Hacker News readers have linked it 79 times, most often “Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you”. The last post was in 2017, but the archive is still widely read.
Most-linked posts?
- Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you32 people · 38 mentions · first linked 2013-08-09
- Kids can't use computers and this is why it should worry you (2013)17 people · 22 mentions · first linked 2013-08-12
- /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/2 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2026-04-18
- Tech journalists can't write original content2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2013-11-17
What Hacker News says?
Well, that's how they learn. That's probably how you yourself learned it. Kids need to be able to tinker with computers, and that includes both downloading malware and cleaning the machine including possibly reinstalling it from the ground up. That's how people grow their digital immune system that helps them navigate technology landscape safely. Constantly fixing everything for our kids will lead to another generat…
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “Yes, we’re being bought by Microsoft”Submitted Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you as a story · 625 points
HN discussionKids can't use computers. http://www.coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-co...
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “Pidgin – A Universal Chat Client”Submitted Kids can't use computers (2013) as a story · 181 points
HN discussionThe idea that kids or young people are better with computers is not actually true. Yes they can use apps, some of them can install them, but for the most part they are clueless when it comes to actually fixing a problem with a computer. http://coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-comput...
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think”Submitted Kids can't use computers and this is why it should worry you (2013) as a story · 51 points
HN discussionYou'd be surprised. I disagree. The catalogue of complaints listed in this article are the norm. http://coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-comput...
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline”Submitted Kids can't use computers and this is why it should worry you (2013) as a story · 44 points
HN discussionClassic: http://coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-comput...
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “Learning to program is getting harder”Submitted KickStarting a Revolution as a story · 39 points
HN discussionRelated: http://www.coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-co...
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “A new digital divide: Young people who can’t use keyboards”Submitted Kids Can’t Use Computers as a story · 36 points
HN discussionI had hoped the generations that grew up with the internet would learn how to use computers. Technical advantages like encryption and social advantages like federation tend to make things more complicated to use no matter how much effort is put into UX. Most people did not, in fact learn how to use computers http://www.coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-co...
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “Ask HN: Organize local communities without Facebook?”Submitted Please stop sending me your shitty Word documents – Coding 2 Learn as a story · 16 points
HN discussion> Besides, as the user population ages it's becoming less of a problem. I want to believe. I really do. But I'm not so sure based on personal experience. This article made the rounds recently, and I think it is apt: http://www.coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-co...
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “You’re infected—if you want to see your data again, pay us $300 in Bitcoins”Submitted Tech journalists can't write original content as a story · 12 points
HN discussionThere's IM the one-to-one communication, and there's IM the multi-user chat. Those are two different concepts, they have their own mechanics of working and are treated differently by society. But since you brought it up, let's talk about IRC. I'm betting its lack of widespread success is because of the general UX combined with some historical mishaps. There are things you need to think about when IRCing, like: - ser…
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “Email will last forever”Submitted Invisible 2048 as a story · 11 points
HN discussionPeople can't use computers: http://coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-comput...
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “Show HN: I solved my New Tab page”Submitted Kids Can't Use Computers (2013) as a story · 10 points
HN discussionI tried to be as non-technical as possible when I wrote this as an introduction to what cryptography is all about. http://coding2learn.org/blog/2017/06/11/dear-theresa/ The problem is that the subject is inherently complex, and abstractions and analogies can only go so far.
Comment linking /blog/2017/06/11/dear-theresa/
on “Message encryption a 'problem' – UK home secretary”Submitted Kids can't use computers (2013) as a story · 10 points
HN discussionThis may be of interest, basically the same sentiment: http://www.coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-co...
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think (2016)”Submitted Kids can't use computers and this is why it should worry you as a story · 7 points
HN discussionThe problem is that the large majority of people, even the youth of today[0], are incredibly un-tech savvy. Unless your website or game is packaged into a simple app you just can't rely on people to visit it or even find it in the first place. [0] http://coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-comput...
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “The Decline of the Mobile Web”Submitted Kids Can't Use Computers... And This Is Why It Should Worry You as a story · 6 points
HN discussionDefaulting to "no" would be better, but I can't fully agree with you in the "innocent" part because the real problem are users that can't use a computer, and this is just a tiny annoyance compared to other things that can happen if the user "can't read" and clicks next, next, next without thinking. This was posted to HN recently, and it sums it up nicely: http://coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-comput.…
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on “DivX Now Installs Malware”Submitted Classic HN: Kids can't use computers and this is why it should worry you as a story · 5 points
HN discussionThat's absolutely not true. See e.g. how literate are people about cars, vs. how they were 40 years ago. See also the classical 2013 rant on the topic: http://www.coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-co... .
Comment linking /blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-computers/
on ““We plan to hide ‘https’ scheme and subdomain ‘www’ in Chrome omnibox in M76””Submitted Kids Can't Use Computers as a story · 5 points
HN discussion
