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brib@bribstodon.xyz ("brib :neofox_floof: :Nonbinary: -> EMF 2026") wrote:
RE: https://ruby.social/@camertron/116925963244988388
Having easily accessible programming tools and documentation was the very thing that got me into programming. It meant I could learn the skills without begging my parents for money. I actually learned a lot of the basics through Excel (mostly cell formulas, but a bit of stuff in macros) which meant I didn't even have to install any new software, which was another major barrier to starting a new thing.
These things, for the most part, haven't gone away (although the learning resources are getting slowly replaced with slop 😭). But Claude et al is a fairly significant financial barrier to programming (plus it involves installing questionable software) and I'm glad to have learned the skill when LLMs weren't enclosing a bunch of programming knowledge and there wasn't all this pressure to get on board