Re: How to abate the Ubiquitous Fear of Programming

[dsb]

in reply to How to abate the Ubiquitous Fear of Programming

I agree and disagree. I think that a person's ability to program depends on their ability to think like a machine. Those people that I've met that have had problems programming had those problems because they could not wrap their mind around the concept that a computer (at least now) can really only do what it's told. A person cannot assume that a computer will get from A to C without being told that it will have to go through B.

That said, some people just have the mind to be a program. I agree with merylyn's earlier post that you have to have a certain mind to program well. Anybody can be taught to do just about anything. But that doesn't mean they can be taught to be proficient at those things. I once tried to teach my friend how to throw a football. We tried for days to get him to spiral it. He may know how to do it, but that doesn't mean he can do it.