Top 10 dead or dying computer skills - moral of the story
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Nemanja Trifunovic wrote:
- C - sure, it is not used much in application programming these days, but for embedded stuff it rules the world. It is also pretty big in Unix system programming. Unlike Cobol, though, C is being taught in most CS courses and there are too many people who know it.
It also rules for driver development. MS's new driver framework is a C framework. Judy
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Nemanja Trifunovic wrote:
BTW, how's your Linux port[^]?
Coming along pretty well. I decided to go with wxWidgets since I'm very familiar with MFC, using wxFormBuilder to actually design my GUI screens. I've got all my screens converted to wxWidgets and displaying nicely on both Ubuntu and XP. I'm just starting to work on the driver and DLL / shared library now that I've played with Linux for a bit working on my screens. I'd definitely recommend wxFormBuilder. It was a huge help. Once I figured out how to manipulate the various kinds of sizers to get what I wanted on the screen, it was pretty straight-forward to design the screens. Code generation is pretty good - the gen'ed code looks very straight-forward. It only took a bit under 7 days (which includes the time spent playing with sizers to get a feel for what they can do) to get my 29 different screens up and running on both OSes. Its support for adding event handlers is also good; nice and simple to add and then just override the virtual handler in the derived class. I haven't found a "good" non-command-line Linux debugger, though. Back to the stone-age. Bummer :^) Judy
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Nemanja Trifunovic wrote:
BTW, how's your Linux port[^]?
Coming along pretty well. I decided to go with wxWidgets since I'm very familiar with MFC, using wxFormBuilder to actually design my GUI screens. I've got all my screens converted to wxWidgets and displaying nicely on both Ubuntu and XP. I'm just starting to work on the driver and DLL / shared library now that I've played with Linux for a bit working on my screens. I'd definitely recommend wxFormBuilder. It was a huge help. Once I figured out how to manipulate the various kinds of sizers to get what I wanted on the screen, it was pretty straight-forward to design the screens. Code generation is pretty good - the gen'ed code looks very straight-forward. It only took a bit under 7 days (which includes the time spent playing with sizers to get a feel for what they can do) to get my 29 different screens up and running on both OSes. Its support for adding event handlers is also good; nice and simple to add and then just override the virtual handler in the derived class. I haven't found a "good" non-command-line Linux debugger, though. Back to the stone-age. Bummer :^) Judy
JudyL_FL wrote:
I haven't found a "good" non-command-line Linux debugger, though. Back to the stone-age.
You might want to try this, C/C++ Debugger for Linux.
Orhun Birsoy
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JudyL_FL wrote:
I haven't found a "good" non-command-line Linux debugger, though. Back to the stone-age.
You might want to try this, C/C++ Debugger for Linux.
Orhun Birsoy
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I can't see C or PC Network Administrators being dead skills. There is too much COBOL left in the world to call it dead pretty much this sums it up: "Despite the fact that many banks, insurance firms and other companies still have large investments in SNA networks, the educational offerings in this area are also rare, " by all means ignore existing technologies, it just raises the wage of the few who know it. I'm not saying you should ignore the new stuff, but the business that are still using these "dead" technologies are usually pretty big and its not like these business are just going to drop all the tech they are invested in.
Matt Newman
I don't disagree with you but the article was dead or *dying*. Sure as developers we can all find someone using C but the point is it's a very rare bunch that are, rare enough to be statistically irrelevant. As far as pc network administrator sure that's a full time job, but that's an area I know like the back of my hand and did for years and the fact is the job has morphed over the years from being 100% network management to about 1% network management and about 99% holding users hands, installing applications, managing email etc etc. Cobol I know how to code but I wouldn't take a job in it under pretty much any circumstances. Hard to say what the future holds for it but I suspect a big turnover to something else when someone comes up with a converter for it or something and the people with the paycheques realize how rare cobol programmers are becoming. Of course the other factor is that Cobol is used to write stuff that, let's face it, hasn't changed significantly since the 16th century with the invention of double entry accounting and journals etc. Can't see much maintenance needed on that code if it's been in operation bug free for decades.
"110%" - it's the new 70%
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I was just reading the list of the Top 10 dead or dying computer skills[^](from todays Insider) and realized I used to actively work and be certified or *have* to know 7 of them. They are really just the tip of the iceberg, the list could have been 100 I would probably have had to know 70 of them at some point in time. I see so many people here posting about how they don't want to be bothered with all the new technology coming out and it makes me laugh -- you're in the wrong line of work.
"110%" - it's the new 70%
At my company, one of the hot things to do is writing web services that run on mainframe. The language to use? COBOL of course. On the other hand, they are trying to replace existing ASP.NET applications with J2EE applications. :(
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Two points I am not sure I agree with: 1) Cobol - while the demand for this language is shrinking, the offer is shrinking even faster, and Cobol runs most financial transactions today[^]. If I was into business programming, I would seriously consider learning Cobol. Same goes for RPG, btw. 2) C - sure, it is not used much in application programming these days, but for embedded stuff it rules the world. It is also pretty big in Unix system programming. Unlike Cobol, though, C is being taught in most CS courses and there are too many people who know it.
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I was just reading the list of the Top 10 dead or dying computer skills[^](from todays Insider) and realized I used to actively work and be certified or *have* to know 7 of them. They are really just the tip of the iceberg, the list could have been 100 I would probably have had to know 70 of them at some point in time. I see so many people here posting about how they don't want to be bothered with all the new technology coming out and it makes me laugh -- you're in the wrong line of work.
"110%" - it's the new 70%
Cool! That' might be good list to start a retro movement. After all, the wheel gets re-invented every few years or so. Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith -
I was just reading the list of the Top 10 dead or dying computer skills[^](from todays Insider) and realized I used to actively work and be certified or *have* to know 7 of them. They are really just the tip of the iceberg, the list could have been 100 I would probably have had to know 70 of them at some point in time. I see so many people here posting about how they don't want to be bothered with all the new technology coming out and it makes me laugh -- you're in the wrong line of work.
"110%" - it's the new 70%
Yeah, I agree! Being a software developer is nothing more than a commitment to learning new technologies. That is our way of life. C/C++ gave us a little window of rest since the core of our technology remained pretty much the same for a decade, but even then there were constantly new frameworks or methods to learn. Right now though we are in new technology overload and we have to be careful to make sure we go down the right learning path unless you just have plenty of time on your hands ;)
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: Popfly! Check this out! Latest Tech Blog Post: 15 Free utilites!
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I was just reading the list of the Top 10 dead or dying computer skills[^](from todays Insider) and realized I used to actively work and be certified or *have* to know 7 of them. They are really just the tip of the iceberg, the list could have been 100 I would probably have had to know 70 of them at some point in time. I see so many people here posting about how they don't want to be bothered with all the new technology coming out and it makes me laugh -- you're in the wrong line of work.
"110%" - it's the new 70%
Yeah i was a bit mixed on that too. I kinda see COBOL phasing out as the larger mainframe gear goes but C? I think it's got tread left. Maybe not for end-user application development but under the hood where the optimization counts totally. I was also confused by the idea that System Administrators are a dying breed. If anything I think the need for skilled admins is somewhat on the rise. The catch is they expect admins to do more with less given the supposed "improvements in server software". Oh well guess we'll see how it pans out.
"I've learned that life is one crushing defeat after another, until you just wish Flanders was dead." [Homer J Simpson]
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I was just reading the list of the Top 10 dead or dying computer skills[^](from todays Insider) and realized I used to actively work and be certified or *have* to know 7 of them. They are really just the tip of the iceberg, the list could have been 100 I would probably have had to know 70 of them at some point in time. I see so many people here posting about how they don't want to be bothered with all the new technology coming out and it makes me laugh -- you're in the wrong line of work.
"110%" - it's the new 70%
Interestingly, the message rules in ccMail were more powerful than those in even current versions of MS Outlook.
Kevin
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Cool! That' might be good list to start a retro movement. After all, the wheel gets re-invented every few years or so. Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh SmithHave these people who are engaged in language wars ever cared to study the features of the languages? Exactly how is it that C/C++/Java is superior to Fortan for writing simulations of thermonuclear explosions... except that the proponents know C/C++/Java but don't have a clue about Fortran? Similarly, why is C/C++/Java (name your language here) superior to COBOL for writing financial systems? The idiocy which forms the backbone of the Unix/C/C++ crowd's rants have one comeback: the equally vapid arguments of the ASP/Windows crowd. It is fun to watch the Unix crowd getting a strong dose of their own medicine from the Windows programmers. :laugh:
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Have these people who are engaged in language wars ever cared to study the features of the languages? Exactly how is it that C/C++/Java is superior to Fortan for writing simulations of thermonuclear explosions... except that the proponents know C/C++/Java but don't have a clue about Fortran? Similarly, why is C/C++/Java (name your language here) superior to COBOL for writing financial systems? The idiocy which forms the backbone of the Unix/C/C++ crowd's rants have one comeback: the equally vapid arguments of the ASP/Windows crowd. It is fun to watch the Unix crowd getting a strong dose of their own medicine from the Windows programmers. :laugh:
Vivic wrote:
Exactly how is it that C/C++/Java is superior to Fortan for writing simulations of thermonuclear explosions... except that the proponents know C/C++/Java but don't have a clue about Fortran? Similarly, why is C/C++/Java (name your language here) superior to COBOL for writing financial systems?
The answer to that question lies in the flaw of how you ask the question. User requirements have become more sophisticated. So, your simulation and your financial system now requires a complicated UI, connection with webservices, complex reporting, possibly user customizable workflows, and so forth. These older langauges have neither the flexibility nor the surrounding framework to support these more complex user requirements. Your question looks at the issue too narrowly. Conversely, languages like C# probably sway too much in the direction of supporting event-based programming, sacrificing useful constructs needed in specific problem domains. Language features need to be discussed within the context of the problem domain (usually the user requirements). However, you can only go so far with that context. But it is pretty clear to me that I would not want to work primarily in Fortran or COBOL for writing a user interface. I wouldn't want to try and create a reflection-based user-configurable workflow engine in those languages. I wouldn't want to attempt to write an object-oriented API for a vector graphics presentation layer. Would you? Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith