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Published Letters: 2
Editor's Choice: 1
I think just as important as having a simple language is having a computer that is 100% okay to rip apart, break, or otherwise have non-working at any given time. That's part of what makes buying the Commodore 64 such a nice solution.
These days the main computer of the house is needed as a communication and media device. It's hard to take too many risks when you might destroy data you need or not be able to check e-mail later in the evening. But with a cheap computer (even a modern one) reserved for hacking use, all is well. If you get stuck, you can go to your main "appliance" computer and google for answers.
The WW2 era kids "hacking" on their jalopies in the garage weren't taking apart the family car, after all. Having the junker free for experimentation is what makes it liberating.
For what it's worth, I took the "fart in the cosmos" comment as indication that Johnson perhaps recognized just how pointless the crime was, with the benefit of hindsight.
