> A bare bones HTML page still looks like a physics website from the 90s.
No it doesn't. "Bare bones" is a benchmark that has shifted due to easy CSS that can be applied to elements. Beginners are using CSS to make their first pages look nice, from drop shadows to rounded corners. I think you may be out of touch.
> No person who is taking their first steps in computing is going to look at that and think...
If we want to understand what beginners and students are thinking, we should avoid consulting senior software engineers for insight.
> how do people get into making software as easily as possible
Yes, and it's not by giving them a baked cake and the task of icing it. All under the watchful gaze of Uncle Google or Aunty Wordpress.
We're talking about industry entry points, not child learning activities. It's better to reach the point of nice looking page without sign-up to Wordpress-World or "install this collection of mysterious files". The idea with learning is to allow students to get as far as possible ON THEIR OWN, until they naturally or logically hit a wall that requires help from broader tools and services.
No it doesn't. "Bare bones" is a benchmark that has shifted due to easy CSS that can be applied to elements. Beginners are using CSS to make their first pages look nice, from drop shadows to rounded corners. I think you may be out of touch.
> No person who is taking their first steps in computing is going to look at that and think...
If we want to understand what beginners and students are thinking, we should avoid consulting senior software engineers for insight.
> how do people get into making software as easily as possible
Yes, and it's not by giving them a baked cake and the task of icing it. All under the watchful gaze of Uncle Google or Aunty Wordpress.
We're talking about industry entry points, not child learning activities. It's better to reach the point of nice looking page without sign-up to Wordpress-World or "install this collection of mysterious files". The idea with learning is to allow students to get as far as possible ON THEIR OWN, until they naturally or logically hit a wall that requires help from broader tools and services.