The decline to 90% is significant when you consider the consumer inertia that had to be overcome to attain that decrease, however small. IE6 comes installed and ready to use, after all.
Yes, the majority of that 7% are probably users with an above average level of technical sophistication. But they probably have some influence over what others around them run (e.g. colleagues, friends and family).
Now what will it take to shift this momentum to more 'average' users?
The ideas aren't new. What is new is the way they are brought together and emphasised. So what's different is that there is higher concentration of best practices than in your typical development process.
This book's been out since May, 2003, but it's well worth picking up. The concepts within are absolutely applicable now, and will continue to be for quite a few years.
Is it just me, or are things changing too fast when a development process has a shelf life of less than two years?
If you want to feel your head really spinning, pick up a copy of The Mythical-Man Month. Things don't actually change that much.
If you stick with your current job, take the opportunity to really learn OO programming. VB6 was never really OO..NET is very OO. A good base in OOD, OOP and, say, C# would be a good platform to use to build skills in Java, and then you're on your way.
Being on the older side of the average in this business, this comment had me seething...until I read the last line:)
Age does not require a move to management. Management is a different set of skills, challenges and rewards. You should want all of this before you decide to take the step. Having tried it, I can speak from experience.
I agree that there is a need for experienced technical managers to lead. But I also believe that there is a need for really good, seasoned programmers/DBAs/sys admins/etc to work with the "youngsters", lead by example and pass along some of the accumulated wisdom.
You haven't really said what you want to do in the "computing biz".
If you want to code, learn the flavour of the month language (Java, C++ or probably C#), OS (Windows or Un*x/Linux,FreeBSD), grab a couple of good books and start learning. Somebody with your experience will be proficient in 3 to 6 months.
But if you want a career as a programmer, that's a lot tougher. You need to know the language, the OS and probably some other technology. But more importantly, you need to really understand how to design a software system and how to apply your technology toolkit to a problem. Being able to understand the problem domain, empathise with the customer and maybe even communicate with them helps too. IMHO, the art of what we do is in the design; the programming language is just a way to express, and manifest that design.
It takes years to build up this level of proficiency. Programmers at this level are rare and worth their weight in gold.
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The decline to 90% is significant when you consider the consumer inertia that had to be overcome to attain that decrease, however small. IE6 comes installed and ready to use, after all.
Yes, the majority of that 7% are probably users with an above average level of technical sophistication. But they probably have some influence over what others around them run (e.g. colleagues, friends and family).
Now what will it take to shift this momentum to more 'average' users?
The ideas aren't new. What is new is the way they are brought together and emphasised. So what's different is that there is higher concentration of best practices than in your typical development process.
This book's been out since May, 2003, but it's well worth picking up. The concepts within are absolutely applicable now, and will continue to be for quite a few years.
Is it just me, or are things changing too fast when a development process has a shelf life of less than two years?
If you want to feel your head really spinning, pick up a copy of The Mythical-Man Month. Things don't actually change that much.
Anyways, it's no big deal because I've already got my iPod :)
So, you're fine until the battery wears out.
If you stick with your current job, take the opportunity to really learn OO programming. VB6 was never really OO. .NET is very OO. A good base in OOD, OOP and, say, C# would be a good platform to use to build skills in Java, and then you're on your way.
XML alone is no panacea, and the non-tech types who read about it in an in-flight magazine need to understand this.
One business integration project I'm currently involved with is wrestling with this problem.
XML alone won't help you with this problem.
Being on the older side of the average in this business, this comment had me seething...until I read the last line :)
Age does not require a move to management. Management is a different set of skills, challenges and rewards. You should want all of this before you decide to take the step. Having tried it, I can speak from experience.
I agree that there is a need for experienced technical managers to lead. But I also believe that there is a need for really good, seasoned programmers/DBAs/sys admins/etc to work with the "youngsters", lead by example and pass along some of the accumulated wisdom.
You haven't really said what you want to do in the "computing biz". If you want to code, learn the flavour of the month language (Java, C++ or probably C#), OS (Windows or Un*x/Linux,FreeBSD), grab a couple of good books and start learning. Somebody with your experience will be proficient in 3 to 6 months. But if you want a career as a programmer, that's a lot tougher. You need to know the language, the OS and probably some other technology. But more importantly, you need to really understand how to design a software system and how to apply your technology toolkit to a problem. Being able to understand the problem domain, empathise with the customer and maybe even communicate with them helps too. IMHO, the art of what we do is in the design; the programming language is just a way to express, and manifest that design. It takes years to build up this level of proficiency. Programmers at this level are rare and worth their weight in gold.