Hacker News Reader

That's a brave and thoroughgoing attempt to, among other things, attract non-nerds to computer science.

That's Berkeley. Abelson and Sussman once got MIT to trademark "Nerd Pride".[1] MIT still keeps the trademark active. Here's a Nerd Pride button.[2]

[1] https://books.google.com/books?id=LJq0JhoElk8C&lpg=PA78&ots=... [2] http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/E1312

[2] http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/E1312

View on HN

Hmm. I don't think Berkeley intentionally switched from Scheme to Python to attract so-called "non-nerds"; it was more founded upon a recognition that computer science will become essential in any field, and not to put at a disadvantage any student who wanted to learn but was new to programming. I mean the current enrollment for CS61A is well-over a thousand, the university lacks resources to properly fund the department, and to declare there's a 3.3 GPA minimum (assuming for Letters & Sciences as College of Engineering students get admitted into the major from freshmen admission).

1. That looks like an interesting book. Have you read it?

2. I think you are focusing too much on the use of the word "nerd" here. Harvey chose the use of that word, not MIT.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com