Lol That's some serious tap-dancing. What is the practical difference? It's also not "like" a priestly caste. It's a skill that some people invest the effort in learning. Are plumbers "like" a priestly caste? Do we need to democratize plumbing?
Discussion
It was an analogy, and not an attack on developers like it seems some are taking it.
I was going to write how the invention of the printing press democratized book-making so that books became more widely available, and wasn't just in the hands of monks and scribes as was previously done. Though yes, anyone could have taken the time to hand copy their own book if they were so inclined and had access to one they could copy. But the printing press and copiers and word processors and computers have made the process so much better and widespread.
I mean, coding is already very accessible. There are tons of tutorials and free beginner resources available to anyone who wants them. There's pretty much no barrier to learning. I'd say it's already a democratized skill.
So we should just keep things as they are?
I didn't say that. I'm challenging your stated perspective that software developers are like a priestly caste. I think that's a glib and fundamentally mistaken point of view that ignores the practical reality.
Ok, I wasn't trying to imply that they keep others out or that they are nefarious or should lose their jobs or anything, only that they are like a group possessing specialized knowledge and skills that not everyone has acquired, and so software that is created comes through them. To get an app idea you have built you either have to be a developer and build it yourself, or have a developer build it for you.
I think there are some experimental development platforms that allow you to develop web apps without coding. You should check out this list of the 8 best "no code" app builders.