From calculators to ChatGPT, the introduction of new technology into schools has long inspired frenzied discourse: Will it revolutionize the system or rot kids’ brains? It often does neither.

The long view on computing is that every computer system starts with a limited set of functions and ultimately opens up to new functionality as creative individuals use the system in unexpected ways.

The humble inventions that power our modern world wouldn’t have been possible without decades of support for early-stage ...