[FroshKiller]

I think you misunderstood me. I'm not saying that people should become literate in programming so they can program their own solutions, although that'd obviously be good. I'm saying that we should encourage people to become literate in programming if only so they could express their needs more clearly and evaluate solutions better.

I likened programming to composition. Most people who took composition courses don't necessarily need to write papers on a daily basis, but they certainly benefit from being able to interpret and evaluate material. If I could get people to understand the general concept of a data type, I'd certainly have an easier time of communicating with them and satisfying their needs.