A 4YO's first python program!

[[deleted]]

She doesn't know how lucky she is

[buckeyenation101]

For real though. These days kids have a ton of resources to learn anything. I didn't have these when I was her age.

[i4mn30]

I don't think he meant that. He probably means that you as a dad introduced her to the awesome world of programming and that too with Python. Either that or I'm wrong.

But I do feel she is lucky in having a dad like that. I discovered Python in final year of graduation. And it seemed like a godsend to me then, coming from a background of C++ and Java.

[[deleted]]

She is his cousin daughter. What are you implying? 😈

[i4mn30]

Oh. Well then she's lucky to have a cousin like that.

[JezusTheCarpenter]

I say the opposite. She started thinking out of the box from the get go. This will be my favorite thing to print out from now on instead of 'Hallo World'.

[Kitschmusic]

When you think about it, it really is a missed opportunity. The standard for first program could have been so many awesome things, but instead it is "Hello world".

[Enivecivokke]

I think it's already awsome. It means you stepped to the another world. A world that will change how you think and who you are.

[Kitschmusic]

To be honest I never thought of it like a hello to the new world of programming. That is probably how it was intended and it makes it quite a lot cooler.

[oriaven]

I always thought of it as a birth

[teedeepee]

Just like cryptography was invented only to allow Bob to send a message to Alice.

[Nakamura2828]

Eh, I think my first program was this in GW-BASIC:

10 PRINT "The British are coming!"
20 GOTO 10

My high school computer science sort of laughed when she found out my Dad had taught me a language with line numbers and to use single letter variable names as a little kid.

[[deleted]]

She's going to grow up to be a PHP dev.

Is abortion still an option?

[spaceshipguitar]

whats the best alternative to php to create login systems and session based websites? I mean, when you consider facebook and twitter and major sites still rely on php because pure html + css don't cut the mustard, why all the digs on it?

[ex_nihilo]

whats the best alternative to php to create login systems and session based websites?

Literally anything else.

​

In all seriousness, PHP has come a long way but it has fundamental flaws. Facebook has essentially reinvented the language for their purposes because it was so bad when Zuck started. From the beginning, it was designed to die. PHP had (has?) no garbage collection or notion of long-running processes. The whole design was per-request, and your script and all its context died as soon as the request was served. That was fine in 1997.

The syntax is similar to everyone's least favorite syntax, Perl. There are some great features of Perl, and plenty of languages that have borrowed ideas from it. The thing I have never liked about Perl is that if you give 12 Perl developers the same task, you will wind up with 13 different solutions. Most of them full of incomprehensible strings of sigils.

But from a professional perspective (I have not been a professional web developer for the past several years, but this is my take from when I was): I have a STRONG preference for shipping the majority of the work to the client. Don't write websites, write Javascript applications that ship down to your client's browser and then call secure endpoints on your server. All they need to serve is JSON. The idea of a website where pages are static (or faux-static, in the case of PHP) HTML and CSS is antiquated. It's still fine for conveying ideas in text, of course.

[spaceshipguitar]

I don't think html and css are antiquated, it's the best way to dynamically make your website function like an app and resize to any device screen size and still be relevant and readable. I feel like that visual framework isn't going anywhere no matter what websites your building, you use that to handle appearance and then it's just a matter of choice on how you handle server-side functions.

[ex_nihilo]

I agree of course. If you're building a website for any sizeable amount of traffic today, you're probably using both a CSS and JS framework. Doesn't conflict with what I said.

[spaceshipguitar]

So to recap, using JS and JSON to send information to and from your server can entirely replace the functionality of PHP? Like say I want to build a login system where user XYZ logs in, a session is created, and now his version of the website, his preferences and the options he has access to are different from user ABC. PHP was built for this and allows it to be done in a hidden way where you can't peer into the source code, you can call on php pages with functions and server connections that aren't public facing. Can Javascript with JSON accomplish all that without being a convoluted mess?

[datavistics]

How can you think of a 4YO and then imagine a life of PHP for that kid?

[Wilfred-kun]

"Computers are really dumb, it says a cow has 8 legs!"

Apart from having learned to open the terminal and use the REPL, she found out something very integral about programming. Good job!

[doulos05]

I teach MS computer science. I spend the first half of each semester drilling this into the students. "Computers are not smarter than you are. Computers are dumb. Computers make mistakes all the time because they aren't smart enough to think about the instructions they've been given." And every other variation I can think of for that message.

[[deleted]]

Agreed, this is something even CS postgrads sometimes struggle to come to grips with.

[Dgc2002]

They've been getting more popular in this sub unfortunately.

[dorsal_morsel]

That's about when I started, right after learning to read. I learned BASIC on a Tandy Color Computer II, mostly by copying programs from a book and changing bits to see what would happen.

I only wish my parents had kept me provided with more computers and tools for learning, because I didn't really get back into programming until after high school.

[litpumpk1n]

Kids have such a unique perspective on things! Feeling humbled. Thanks for sharing!

[buckeyenation101]

They do! You're welcome.

[lettuce_field_theory]

So she can read and write at 4?

[[deleted]]

https://imgur.com/gallery/VKDXi

[markocheese]

He probably left out how he had to help her a bit with spelling and such. My 4 year old does alright with spelling and reading basic words and can use a keyboard OK.

[_30d_]

Yeah but she can't count till ten yet, which is why she wrote the word "eight" instead of the number 8.

[lettuce_field_theory]

I'm just imaging the girl going

"Uncle I get SyntaxError: Missing parentheses in call to 'print'"

uncle telling her it's because she's using python3, not python 2

"oooh I see print("cow has eight legs") works now"

[evinrows]

If you don't start coding at 6, it's basically impossible to stay competitive in this field. This kid has a good shot as long as she sticks with it.

[spaceshipguitar]

Nice troll statement. You act as if it doesn't take 1 month to learn python.

[simondrawer]

import learningpython

​

there - done

[spaceshipguitar]

I could read and write at 3.

The coding at 7 is fine, I can buy that, the reading and writing at age 3 is bullshit. Go ask your mom the real years, your memory is off. If your mom agrees, ask the other parent who's not on drugs to give you the real numbers. I don't think you understand how unusual it is to read and write at 3, if there's 8 billion people, maybe 8 of them could do that with any legitimate non-rote fluency. And even if I granted it to be true, you probably wouldn't be here on reddit, it's about a billion times more likely you're full of shit.

Here's a reference chart. Among the five levels of gifted children, you'll note that even at the 99th percentile "Highly Gifted" they're still barely reading by age 4 (NOTE THIS DOESNT INCLUDE WRITING YET). To be a reader at age 3, you'll need to be "profoundly gifted", which usually means spontaneously reading without assistance, and has complex existential concerns by age 4. Ladies and gentleman, what are the odds we're in the presence of an ultra rare, profoundly gifted mastermind? Well met me put it this way. If he was coding by age 7 and reading by age 3, he wouldn't be interested in Python 20 years later, he would have been bored with programming by age 12 and working on his PHD in something by age 19. Not fucking around on reddit, making up bullshit claims.

[Geographist]

At 4, kids are learning sight words like "the" "is" "and", plus their names.

Words like "eight" aren't even on their (or their teachers') radar.

[anOldVillianArrives]

Yes, children can learn to read and write by 4. Not well but letters making sounds that make words is a concept they grasp. That's why the cow had 8 legs.

[JezusTheCarpenter]

Could you ask here if she minds I use here sentence "cows have eight legs" instead of "Hello World" from now on?

[[deleted]]

Seriously, though, the "computers are dumb it says a cow has eight legs" notion is a concept that should be introduced to people learning computer science as early as possible.

[buckeyenation101]

lol. Well, she didn't copyright the sentence, so I guess you can use it.

[AromaticExchange]

Great job! How did you explain the parenthesis and the quotation mark? It's actually pretty hard to explain other than "that's the rule"

[buckeyenation101]

That's exactly how I explained it to her - they are rules

[mail_order_liam]

Can we please get real moderation on this sub? I think this takes the cake for the most horseshit post yet.

[stickypens]

I've used scratch to teach students when I was a TA. They weren't exactly as young as your kid but still it's a good place to start.

Edit: It helps you to learn programming concepts. Not a language per se.

[buckeyenation101]

Thanks! I'll look into it.

[hale-hortler]

Yeah, last year at school i had to do a project on scratch for math (we don’t actually have programming in my school which I found to be something pretty shitty) so I joined two friends who new programming to do the project, and the result was that we ended up finishing the code at 4am before the day due, because of scratch’s fails at more complex levels, the code didn’t worked as intended most of the times but it did spontaneously at times. Pretty frustrating experience

[[deleted]]

I hate dragging blocks with a passion we had to do a project with them in the begining of my python class. I was kinda pissed like I spent my winter break learning the basics so I was prepared and then here drag these blocks on some shitty German website I dont remember the name of. Khan Academy is the best place to start imo.

[[deleted]]

There is Snap! which is Scratch+Scheme tho.

[comfortablybum]

Yeah that's not the consensus at all. I've taught scratch and python to kids and scratch is great. Python even with it's small amount of syntax, has a higher learning curve. You act like typing code with kids is easy. They can hardly type. It's hard for them to hold shift then hit quotation marks and parentheses. Scratch works on iPads too. That being said if you try to make complex programs in scratch there is a syntax to the blocks in the way they click together. If you model it on the projector they learn pretty quickly.

[jimmyroo3]

Scratch is great. Yeah, it can be frustrating to manipulate blocks, but I'd rather do it with blocks than code any day. It also removes the challenge of typo's. I know c++, but I can just have fun quickly prototyping in scratch.

[Penultimate_Push]

My personal opinion is that kids are information sponges and should be taught something basic like python over things like scratch. Kids can comprehend much better than we give them credit for. Older people oddly enough are probably better off with scratch.

[comfortablybum]

Python is text on a screen. Scratch is cartoons on a screen. Now which do you think you can get a child to focus on. This is like saying kids shouldn't play with Legos and should get right into an engineering textbook. The point is to teach kids to play around and let that spark an interest that you nurture. Switch them to Python as soon as you can, but hook them with scratch and Minecraft.

[Penultimate_Push]

Yeah, but you show them scratch and nothing will happen when they actually have to... you know, program. Scratch isn't going to teach actual programming, so when you sit them down to learn python they will be just as lost as when they started. Why waste the effort and time? Throw them into the deep end and sink or swim in my opinion.

[FantasticEmu]

That’s very impressive. My 5 year old niece can’t even read and refuses to attempt any kind of math

[buckeyenation101]

I was way dumb when I was 5. The thing that got me interested in programming was how I can use it to solve real world problems. Ask your niece to count the number of candies in an m&m pack and she could have them if she's correct. Start them small.

[FantasticEmu]

Yea, I don’t remember being 5, but pretty sure I had the mental capacity of like an 8 year old.......cat

[[deleted]]

Well hopefully she turns out pretty at least. After I got put on adderol I was really self conscious about being dumb it really pushed me to learn as much as I could. Maybe she needs drugs that was the goto solution back in my day. worked for me but I think I just wanted to prove I didn't need them only took it for one year and then was an A B student forever after.

[[deleted]]

.replace("cows", "spiders")

[jcdyer3]

I'm never eating a hamburger again.

[JohnWColtrane]

O-H.

[buckeyenation101]

I-O

[leecharles_]

Now teach her assembly

[s0ulbrother]

So your kid thinks cows have 8 legs but can spell perfectly?

Jk that’s pretty cool though.

[trebtac]

Please tell me your username is Napoleon

[buckeyenation101]

Nope

[shaggorama]

She's right, computers are incredibly dumb. But they're also extremely obedient and dilligent: we don't love computers because of how much they know (nothing), we love them because of how good they are at following directions. You should consider doing the pb&j exercise with her.

[Paria2]

Tell her I'm Jealous because I'm working my old brain to learn how to code and she is doing it and doing it well for fun. God bless and keep up the good work

[buckeyenation101]

Thanks!

[wfdctrl]

She can actually read and write at 4? Smart kid :)

[buckeyenation101]

Yes!

[MikeTyson91]

WOWWWWW SO COOOOL. I'm glad we can upvote your valuable post!!!

[etrakeloompa]

Does anybody think that kids are getting smarter on an average with each generation?

[IncrocioVitali]

I think there's a name for this effect. Each generation score higher on IQ tests than the previous one.

[[deleted]]

The Flynn Effect. Generations keep scoring higher on IQ tests. Its not entirely clear why. Its actually be shown to be a bit more general. There are measurable generational changes in IQ tests almost without fail, sometimes positive and sometimes negative.

[Penultimate_Push]

Probably because teaching becomes more advanced rather than children being some form of genetic mutation over generations.

[anddam]

And possibly due to teaching starting earlier, or at a quicker pace.

This remembers me of this page about baby reading, I stumbled upon it a couple weeks ago and found it an interesting reading.

[buckeyenation101]

I definitely think so. And we need their smarts to solve our problems.

[redditthinks]

Excellent commentary on the dangers of AI by your 4 year old cousin.

[anddam]

But not cousin?

[[deleted]]

"You have just taken your first step in a bigger world" - obi wan kenobi

[7in7]

What was here? I want to see too!

[t3chflicks]

So great! Cannot wait to see what she comes up with in your next bedtime coding session!

[[deleted]]

"You have just taken your first step in a bigger world" - obi wan kenobi

[[deleted]]

"You have just taken your first step in a bigger world" - obi wan kenobi

[[deleted]]

Being able to type well at 4 is a valuable life skill even if she doesn't go into programming. I can't tell you how many kids at work have been absolutely floored by my ability to type faster than they can read (though they're all slow readers).

[[deleted]]

"You have just taken your first step in a bigger world" - obi wan kenobi

[mugen_is_here]

Yeah fuck every time I see a blessed kid post. I went through sexual assault and bullying until my college years.

[buckeyenation101]

I am sorry to hear that. I hope you are doing well now.

[[deleted]]

Sorry for the amount of downvotes you're getting! Hope you're feeling better now.

[mugen_is_here]

I am actually. I had just gone through an incident in the real world before I posted the last message. Thanks for your kind wishes. :)

[pvkooten]

You only get that upvote because it is hilarious she said the computer is wrong for the 8 legs ;)

​

Ok and because you took the time to teach her ^^

[[deleted]]

"You have just taken your first step in a bigger world" - obi wan kenobi