Coding is a tool to solve a problem, but, to many it is also a culture. It has a history, it has connections, it has lore, it had some loosely commonly held values, and yes it absolutely was a craft. It’s okay for people to mourn that. It’s not the same as someone who may have taken it up for money. That itself, is seeing coding as a tool for income—which is valid.
Calling it pathetic I think lacks empathy and perhaps an appreciation for what it might mean to other people outside the letters we type. Those letters, the languages we type, compilers that process them, and libraries that enable them were, at the end of the day, made by people.
Would someone mind explaining the technical aspect here? I feel with modern compute and OS paradigms I can’t appreciate this. But even now I know that feeling when you crack it and the thrill of getting the imposible to work.
It’s on all of us to keep the history of this field alive and honor the people who made it all possible. So if anyone would nerd out on this, I’d love to be able to remember him that way.
There’s a lot of good advice here, and everyone I know is different about how to overcome executive functioning issues. But one bit I’ll add:
ADHD can be incredibly lonely. Not even in ways you are aware of until you are older. It’s easy to see the places you aren’t like others or adjusted for in school. There are minor imperceptible ways you might be reminded of this and in all likelihood, those closest to you don’t have it—e.g. teachers, parents. And often it’s framed as something to overcome.
So remind your nephew of what makes him different in amazing ways. And take time to value the things he cares about and excels in. I know that’s good advice for any child, but it’s so important when the world is telling you that you aren’t the same.
Calling it pathetic I think lacks empathy and perhaps an appreciation for what it might mean to other people outside the letters we type. Those letters, the languages we type, compilers that process them, and libraries that enable them were, at the end of the day, made by people.