haha, this is a funny article. It may as well read "computers/internet just another fad". The reality is, everything is moving online, everything is becoming software, every industry relies more and more on it every day. So it would stand to reason, more programmers are going to be needed every day, and even the people who don't become programmers would benefit from knowing the basics of how it works. No, you don't need to know how to fix an engine to build a car, but you should probably know what an engine is and basically what it does. Also, knowing how to check your oil and tire pressure should be something every single driver knows how to do.  This "someone else will do it" mentality doesn't help anyone. The analogy with telegraphs just shows the author does not comprehend the technology whatsoever. Which is fine, be ignorant all you'd like, but please don't encourage parents to share that ignorance with their children.