Like most of us, I discovered programming using proprietary software (namely MS-DOS and QBASIC), and if an intolerant idiot tried to prevent me from using those tools, he would have been hit by a (then) heavy keyboard.
(by the way, the case against using BASIC is certainly stronger than the case against using proprietary software.)
Yeah, I probably would have felt the same way. On the other hand, it's fortunate that five-year-olds don't generally decide major public policy issues; I can remember a lot of things I felt similarly passionate about at the time.
(by the way, the case against using BASIC is certainly stronger than the case against using proprietary software.)