Quoting Sellam Ismail <foo_at_siconic.com>:
> On Sat, 7 Apr 2001, Jeffrey S. Sharp wrote:
> > It depends on your definition of 'kid'. I'm 22, but I am probably
> > near the young end of the distribution as well. The fact that we're
> > young, however, does not make us any less deserving of the pleasure of
> > exploring the history of computing through classic computers.
> > Granted, we might know less than the older gurus here, but we are just
> > as important. Lack of knowledge is a temporary obstacle; even the
> > gurus were neophytes once. If the traditions, folklore, and spirit of
> > computing in ages past are to survive, then at some point the flag
> > must be passed to the next generation.
>
> Nope, we intend to keep everything from you young whipper-snappers.
> Your first history lesson is to understand that computers used to sit
> behind big panes of glass, accessible only to the priesthood that
> maintained them. You communed with them only through a small hole
> where you passed your punched cards and got your results back (usually
> just error messages).
>
> So too it is with computer history. You can only have access to the
> knowledge we pass to you through the little hole in the window. Do not
> try to subvert our authority or we will find it fit to smite thee.
:-) Yes, it's a little different for us, and yes, we must respect our
elders. Did I not just give my elders the title "guru"?
> And let's just get one thing straight, you were either born to compute
> or you ended up being some post-degree market-molded wannabee nerd who
> couldn't get a job in your chosen profession and just jumped on the
> bandwagon during the great Internet bubble economy of the late 1990s and
> "became" a programmer.
Well, I was most definitely born that way. Computing runs through my
blood; programming is my religion. I absolutely detest the wannabees of
which you speak, those to whom it is just another good-paying job. Those
types are quite numerous at college, and I make every possible attempt to
treat them as a lower class. It's easy to spot them when they say things
like "Man, this programming assignment will be tough. I haven't had to
write anything since two semesters ago. Maybe I should change my major
back to business. And that stupid <professor>, why does he grade so hard?
I failed his <some-class-I-made-an-A-in> because he grades too hard."
--
Jeffrey S. Sharp
jss_at_ou.edu
Received on Sun Apr 08 2001 - 12:45:39 BST