I'm hoping that the story is upvoted more for the artistry of the post, The Watchmen reference and the plead to move to 1.9 and less for the argument of hashrocket vs. colon syntax.
But, given the chance HN will always fan the flames of the argument that lies within.
Seriously. My parent were broke, too, and they went to some spiel on a timeshare to get a blisterkey timex mini computer thing (this by the way is how we got our family toaster, as well). But it spoke basic. And I started there. With a free POS computer that was more like a calculator.
Arguments about privilege and CS degrees are apologetic and sound an awful lot like excuse-making.
Access means a lot, but it's irresponsible to alienate entire classes with broad-stroke generalizations. This is the same sort of crap that makes the Left look so lame. And I can't quite get the intent behind the post. If it's simply to increase access, then that's a noble cause. But it sure seemed more like whining.
But, given the chance HN will always fan the flames of the argument that lies within.