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Yes, the article is just stupid. What he describes as coding is some equivalent of spelling instead of writing.

The author redefined coding to something very narrow, and then pretended that when people speak of "teaching kids coding", they also meant that narrow definition (which is clearly not true), all to claim that it’s a waste of time.

I’m on the same page with you. Only recently I realized how coding is a lot more like writing and coders are just as different in their skills as writers. Replacing good coder is more comparable to replacing a good screen writer and less comparable to replacing a construction worker.

Agreed, this was upsetting to read. Why is the author wasting their life in a field which they don't even see as a valid creative endeavor?

I’ve always had a lot of fun programming, even as a kid. This article is so dumb.