> might leave behind students that have not yet been exposed to any programming
And good riddance. If you make it to university without exposing yourself to your subject as a matter of passion (and few subjects are more easily approached by hobbyists than programming) you're going to waste your time there.
University is a not a "school" you attend for learning a subject. You can't show up for English Literature if you have never read a novel. You show up at the music department if you don't already play an instrument very well. You can't show up at Zoology if you can't tell a reptile from a mammal. You can't study Economics if you've never heard of Keynes. And you can't study computer science if you can't program a computer.
This was not always the case for programming, but it certainly is today, and I'm not convinced it wasn't too in 2001.
And good riddance. If you make it to university without exposing yourself to your subject as a matter of passion (and few subjects are more easily approached by hobbyists than programming) you're going to waste your time there.
University is a not a "school" you attend for learning a subject. You can't show up for English Literature if you have never read a novel. You show up at the music department if you don't already play an instrument very well. You can't show up at Zoology if you can't tell a reptile from a mammal. You can't study Economics if you've never heard of Keynes. And you can't study computer science if you can't program a computer.
This was not always the case for programming, but it certainly is today, and I'm not convinced it wasn't too in 2001.