I say "programmable" only in the sense that the USER had to program them.
Sparky you make me laugh. Back in the early 1970's when my Hubby was teaching at Mare Island Nuke school he often tutored students in his off hours.
These kids were very smart, got most of the classes down BUT the Math held them up.
After we came east I began to hear about this new who-dickie called a calculator that was faster and more accurate then the slide rule. I raided the family budget and bought one for $50.00 for his birthday. Today's money perhaps $400.00
He went nuts, why had I spent all that money for a toy, this could in no way be of help, it was useless.
Off he went in a huff to the club on base to find someone to listen to his story about becoming bankrupt because Wife was an idiot. We had 4 kids to feed and cloth and stupid wife buys him a useless gadgit.
2 days later he comes home looking the worse for wear and tells me he has to attend a class on how to use this useless gadgit.
Education often comes from life, not the class room.
I would not want to be poor and struggle to put a kid through college if they majored in basket weaving, but one never knows when that skill can morph into architecture in far away lands, cover that huge basket with plaster and there is a home for someone in an arid country.
Skills of any kind can come in handy, be it a masters in recreation [?] to agronomy.
