In our subsequent conversations he could only compare the cost of my product with the cost of the other programs he had already tried. The last I heard he was continuing his quest for a free program. This example is not uncommon in my experience and I do not fault this man or anyone because they are searching for the least expensive solution. However I am concerned that this man could see no difference between solutions which did not work and a solution which did. In his mind all of these were programs and he wanted to value them relative to each other instead of comparing them to the benefits they might provide.
Programming is in fact quite difficult.
What makes it difficult is that at its essence programming almost always requires thinking that takes one outside the normal boundaries associated with solving problems. In fact, it may even require defining the problem in a new way. It may require seeing a problem that others don t even recognize. I think it is this factor that lends itself to the notion that younger people are able to better use computers than older people. Younger people are more willing to color outside the lines than older folks.