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Sci-fi author David Brin writes in Slate Salon,

For three years — ever since my son Ben was in fifth grade — he and I have...searched for a simple and straightforward way to get the introductory programming language BASIC to run on either my Mac or my PC....Because if you want to give young students a grounding in how computers actually work, there's still nothing better than a little experience at line-by-line programming.

Only, quietly and without fanfare, or even any comment or notice by software pundits, we have drifted into a situation where almost none of the millions of personal computers in America offers a line-programming language simple enough for kids to pick up fast.

Duh, that's why Johnny learned CSS instead and now trolls for web design jobs. Get with it and get online, Dad.

Why Johnny can't code [Salon]