Absolutely agree with you. There are basic skills at the root of every industry that we should all be exposed to and taught in school. I'd argue that "algorithmic literacy" falls into the "math" category, and those who are interested in math will often pursue computer science. I just don't see why there should be huge initiatives to teach "everyone" programming, like the quoted portion of my post claimed.
Regarding IFTTT, I have to say it's a wonderful service and does an amazing job dumbing down powerful APIs and interconnecting them. However, I would love to see a study of how many non-technical people utilize it, and/or how many recipes come from people who are otherwise uninterested or ignorant to programming and computer technologies. I'm willing to bet it's very low.
It's easy to understand an IFTTT recipe in plain English, but it's a whole other ballgame trying to come up with them yourself.
Regarding IFTTT, I have to say it's a wonderful service and does an amazing job dumbing down powerful APIs and interconnecting them. However, I would love to see a study of how many non-technical people utilize it, and/or how many recipes come from people who are otherwise uninterested or ignorant to programming and computer technologies. I'm willing to bet it's very low.
It's easy to understand an IFTTT recipe in plain English, but it's a whole other ballgame trying to come up with them yourself.