[al_borland]

This would actually be an effective way to teach kids about technology. If they learn enough to install their own OS, let them have their smut.

I’m hearing more and more how younger generations don’t have what people used to call basic computer skills, because everything just kind of works now. Putting up some road blocks that require research and hands on tinkering to solve, is an invaluable part of the learning process.

[drak0n1c]

While I wouldn't put it that way, I definitely agree that local device technical obstacles are the best conduit for learning as a youth. As a kid and young teen during the 1995-2005 era there were a lot of hoops to figure out and jump through as a gamer with Mac and then Windows ME. There were no video guides or wikis - just print manuals and text forums. Needing to upgrade the family computer RAM from 128 mb to 512 mb to get WoW above 2-3 FPS was a formative experience.

One could say the same of server/cloud obstacles, but because those systems are afar and opaque, it's easy to be content copy-pasting scripts. And there is less sense of progression and ownership since it doesn't involve building up your own environment.

[anondude24]

I'm not sure bribing kids with smut to learn computer skills is good branding.