Hmm, i think we need to understand one thing, programming is't for all of us. Some people don't have any predisposition to become a singer, and they won't learn how to sing, and learning singing won't be any good for him beside of wasting some time. Someone say's that learning programming learns logical thinking, sure, just like math or logic. So why not to study them ? I agree with Jeff that " Before you go rushing out to learn to code, figure out what your problem actually is. Do you even have a problem?" because learning to program just to boost up logic skill don't make sense to me. To be a good programer something more is needed than just willing to learn how to code. The more people will learn to code just to code, or for profit, the more shitty code will be out there to destroy, and we will pray not to be in situation we will have to rewrite it...
I got my own theory, when i started programming, i was writing all the code by myself, just to understand all, but when it comes to write n-th time datepicer, or so, i use my old code, or download some new fancy good working code just to save my time, cuz i exactly know how it works. I dont get it bad to do so, as long, as you are good to write all this things by yourself :D But it can be true than in lack of skill someone can just google "awsome stuff doing source code" and use it, is this bad ? Its bad for programmer, who wont learn how to do it, but its $$ for company that save time.
I use Arch Linux with gnome, to program in php and java. I think its brilliant, quick and stable. It took me some time to get it all working, but it was worth of it.