I don't disagree with this at all. There are lots of ways to learn, and everyone's style is different. That's why I ended up offering two distinct styles of advice, separated by the magic dotted line (-----). I use a mixture of the two... one which is actually skewed pretty heavily in your "hack away on the app and solve problems" approach.
Some of us like learning from books (as well as by practicing). Other people like learning by practice, as well as from books. Some people actually go to school and get degrees in comp sci. I skipped that part: After far too many years studying science, I got bored with formal lectures, because they move at a pace that isn't my pace (i.e. "usually too slow, except when they're too fast"). OTOH, other people thrive on the camaraderie and the formal structure of a class.
I think your answer is wise to emphasize that building stuff, and learning via experience, is the only real path to becoming a hacker. Some book learning will help, but it's not the essence of the matter.
Some of us like learning from books (as well as by practicing). Other people like learning by practice, as well as from books. Some people actually go to school and get degrees in comp sci. I skipped that part: After far too many years studying science, I got bored with formal lectures, because they move at a pace that isn't my pace (i.e. "usually too slow, except when they're too fast"). OTOH, other people thrive on the camaraderie and the formal structure of a class.
I think your answer is wise to emphasize that building stuff, and learning via experience, is the only real path to becoming a hacker. Some book learning will help, but it's not the essence of the matter.