Based. I tend to think of algebra as movement of terms, as opposed to only thinking in terms of operations. This could be really good for building intuition.
How does this apply to non-personal-computer-based tools? Heidegger has some cool commentary on the topic. I think good tools can be invisible, but they also unlock new capabilities, almost like a new bodily sense or a new organ. It's easy to focus on a text editor's removal of friction between thought and text, but I also wonder what new capabilities our tools will unlock.