Yes, true. I'm *really* old at almost 60. And I've found that you can't keep up with everything; but you don't have to. Some things go away before you get a chance to feel foolish for not using them (like MySpace, and just about anything that Microsoft makes:-)).
In my case, I'm still using Emacs/gcc/gdb to write C code where I work. But I've ported my old open-source project to Android using Eclipse with Java, and my Android phone is my main internet and entertainment device when I travel. And I'm an avid Facebook user, but don't feel I'm missing anything by avoiding Twitter.
After a while, you'll develop a better sense of whether something is a fad (or marketing ploy), or a useful development worth pursuing.
Yep. I replaced my laptop drive with an SSD when the original died about 10 days out-of-warranty. I hope to go a much longer time before going through the hassle of restoring my system again. And the speed bump is amazing.
This works out perfectly. We pay lawyers to sue us, then pay other lawyers to defend us. The lawyers need computers and software which we techies provide. Everybody wins!
Sometimes it's funny. I get an email from someone with an Asian name, and I get ads for martial-arts schools on my screen. I search for tickets to a Broadway play and they assume I'm gay.
... you insensitive clod! And I still have my phonograph and speakers from 40 years ago. The phonograph is still quite good, with a 3 Kg platter that's hard to find on anything reasonably priced nowadays, and a recently upgraded cartridge. But the speakers, old KLH 17's, really weren't that great new, and probably should be replaced. I'd assume the right way to go would be to visit a real audio store like Magnolia and listen to different speakers using the same sound source. But as the article pointed out, we've become spoiled by the convenience of modern gadgets, and it's too easy to pick up something cheap at Best Buy or Frye's.
Yes, I'm a developer at an EDA company, and it is the same with me. I have a rack-mounted server somewhere on the campus, and I use Nxclient to connect to it, along with VPN when I'm at home. So no matter where I am, I get the same desktop the way I left it, as the server is rarely rebooted. We have a large code-base and there is a huge array of tools needed for building and testing, so it wouldn't make sense to try to get them on a local machine.
Someone above said it was about 'control', but that's only partially true. Yes, the tools and source-code are centralized. But it also gave me more freedom, for example, using Ubuntu on my company laptop, since all I need is Nxclient (or VNC) it order to get work done.
It's back to the future... well, the 80's. You could target MSDOS, Windows 3, GEM, AtariST, Commodore, Mac, or various flavors of Unix. It did make for lots of employment opportunities for software engineers, so let's hope the same is true now.
Uh oh... my facebook friends will see that I'm driving an 11-year-old Saturn, so, being the trend-setter that I am, they'll decide it's cool to keep driving an old car forever. And there goes the auto industry!
True, and, of course, Google has been trying to do this for quite a while. When I got an email from someone with an Asian name, I got ads for martial arts schools. And when I did a search for 'broadway theater tickets', I got ads for gays.
I'd hope that most of us have a general idea of what goes on in an automobile. We know that electricity is used to create sparks in the engine that explode gasoline, which was sprayed in by fuel injectors, and we know there's a coolant system with a water-pump and radiator. I don't do any work on my own car, but I'd know that I was being scammed if a repair shop said they needed to 'reverse the neutron flow'.:-)
OTOH, I really don't have clue what computer viruses and spy-ware do, even though I've been using computers for years and am a software engineer. But then, running Linux (and in the past, Unix), I've never had much need to find out.
True. How many people raved when Microsoft 'invented' multi-tasking for Windows 95? The problem is that it took PC software years to catch up to what existed on older hardware for decades.
A lot of techies, myself included, are much better at working with computers and software than in marketing themselves, an essential talent for working as a consultant.
Nice comment. I'll add that on a recent trip to NY, I noticed that a cup of regular coffee at Starbucks cost less than the same at Dunkin' Donuts, and both were slightly under $2.
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Yes, true. I'm *really* old at almost 60. And I've found that you can't keep up with everything; but you don't have to. Some things go away before you get a chance to feel foolish for not using them (like MySpace, and just about anything that Microsoft makes:-)).
In my case, I'm still using Emacs/gcc/gdb to write C code where I work. But I've ported my old open-source project to Android using Eclipse with Java, and my Android phone is my main internet and entertainment device when I travel. And I'm an avid Facebook user, but don't feel I'm missing anything by avoiding Twitter.
After a while, you'll develop a better sense of whether something is a fad (or marketing ploy), or a useful development worth pursuing.
Yep. I replaced my laptop drive with an SSD when the original died about 10 days out-of-warranty. I hope to go a much longer time before going through the hassle of restoring my system again. And the speed bump is amazing.
This works out perfectly. We pay lawyers to sue us, then pay other lawyers to defend us. The lawyers need computers and software which we techies provide. Everybody wins!
Sometimes it's funny. I get an email from someone with an Asian name, and I get ads for martial-arts schools on my screen. I search for tickets to a Broadway play and they assume I'm gay.
Thanks for the spoiler!! I hadn't watched the end yet!:-)
... you insensitive clod! And I still have my phonograph and speakers from 40 years ago. The phonograph is still quite good, with a 3 Kg platter that's hard to find on anything reasonably priced nowadays, and a recently upgraded cartridge. But the speakers, old KLH 17's, really weren't that great new, and probably should be replaced. I'd assume the right way to go would be to visit a real audio store like Magnolia and listen to different speakers using the same sound source. But as the article pointed out, we've become spoiled by the convenience of modern gadgets, and it's too easy to pick up something cheap at Best Buy or Frye's.
Yes, I'm a developer at an EDA company, and it is the same with me. I have a rack-mounted server somewhere on the campus, and I use Nxclient to connect to it, along with VPN when I'm at home. So no matter where I am, I get the same desktop the way I left it, as the server is rarely rebooted. We have a large code-base and there is a huge array of tools needed for building and testing, so it wouldn't make sense to try to get them on a local machine.
Someone above said it was about 'control', but that's only partially true. Yes, the tools and source-code are centralized. But it also gave me more freedom, for example, using Ubuntu on my company laptop, since all I need is Nxclient (or VNC) it order to get work done.
I also didn't have a clue what it was. But as soon as I saw that it had a Linux version, I was happy!
Is it possible to run NetFlix in the Android emulator? I know it would probably be kind of slow....
I agree. And I also thought the idea behind the plot - that a computer program takes on the personality of the person who wrote it - was really cool.
It's back to the future... well, the 80's. You could target MSDOS, Windows 3, GEM, AtariST, Commodore, Mac, or various flavors of Unix. It did make for lots of employment opportunities for software engineers, so let's hope the same is true now.
You must have had one hell of a good lawyer!
They say you can read in a web browser with javascript enabled.
Uh oh... my facebook friends will see that I'm driving an 11-year-old Saturn, so, being the trend-setter that I am, they'll decide it's cool to keep driving an old car forever. And there goes the auto industry!
320x200? Some of my favorites are 80x24 characters!
Wait... I just got an email: "I'm Syndi, a nice girl from alpha centauri. If you visit my web site, you can see some pictures of me."
I acquired 8 virtues playing Ultima.
True, and, of course, Google has been trying to do this for quite a while. When I got an email from someone with an Asian name, I got ads for martial arts schools. And when I did a search for 'broadway theater tickets', I got ads for gays.
Have an attractive young woman do the licking?
I'd hope that most of us have a general idea of what goes on in an automobile. We know that electricity is used to create sparks in the engine that explode gasoline, which was sprayed in by fuel injectors, and we know there's a coolant system with a water-pump and radiator. I don't do any work on my own car, but I'd know that I was being scammed if a repair shop said they needed to 'reverse the neutron flow'.:-)
OTOH, I really don't have clue what computer viruses and spy-ware do, even though I've been using computers for years and am a software engineer. But then, running Linux (and in the past, Unix), I've never had much need to find out.
I'd like to meet her. She sounds hot!
True. How many people raved when Microsoft 'invented' multi-tasking for Windows 95? The problem is that it took PC software years to catch up to what existed on older hardware for decades.
Pretty sneaky way to get around Godwin's Law.:-)
A lot of techies, myself included, are much better at working with computers and software than in marketing themselves, an essential talent for working as a consultant.
Nice comment. I'll add that on a recent trip to NY, I noticed that a cup of regular coffee at Starbucks cost less than the same at Dunkin' Donuts, and both were slightly under $2.