I will also be happy to answer any coding questions that these new recruits may post to the list.
I agree with Rob that learning some coding will help people gain more control over their use of technology. That being said, JavaScript isn't really going to get people far with this goal in mind. It is however a good introduction to coding principles. I would recommend Perl, Python or Ruby to those that want to make their existing computers "do more their way". PHP can also be used for local scripts. These languages all have their ups and downs. Ps. There are systems available that will let you create phone apps as HTML5+JavaScript. For instance appMobi (http://www.appmobi.com/). On Sat, Jan 7, 2012 at 10:54 AM, Rob Myers <[email protected]> wrote: > On 07/01/12 15:18, Andreas Maria Jacobs wrote: >> >> Where and how are software skills degraded from a professional craft >> to a hobby 'free' time occupation? > > There are two reasons why I suggest people on Netbehaviour learn to > program using these resources. Neither is so they can get jobs as code > monkeys. > > The first is so that they can get a feel for how code works. So they can > gain an insight into how the software they use every day, and that > affects their entire lives, works. This is important for thinking > critically and realistically about software. > > The second is so that they can use code as a tool to achieve their own > ends using software, less constrained by the fixed affordances of > applications and web sites. Data visualisation, digital humanities > techniques and web scripting are all useful ways of doing things with > software. > >> What are the benefits from it when being outsourced and jobless? > > Software should not be an economic end in itself. It is a tool for > achieving other ends. This is its benefit to artists and activists and > academics, not that they might be able to make a living by writing code > for multinationals. > >> The naivity - also expressed in this list - surrounding software >> practices is astonishing > > We don't leave culture to the culture industry or sex to the sex > industry. We shouldn't leave software to the software industry. > > - Rob. > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour -- ***************************** Pall Thayer artist http://pallthayer.dyndns.org ***************************** _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
