[ILUG] [OT] Whatever happened to real computer scientists?

[Robert Sweetnam]

On 4/15/06, Kieran Tully <Kieran.Tully at acm.org> wrote:
> On 4/15/06, Timothy Murphy <tim at birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie> wrote:
> >
> > Don't students learn how to solder, and use a voltmeter,
> > and things like that any more?
>
> Perhaps for the same reason that none of the mathematicians
> I asked could help me with my tax returns.

Excellent reply.. Best touche I've seen in a long time...

But seriously,
It used to a case of a computer, be it IBM compatible, Mac, notebook,
desktop or whatever being a serious investment for an individual to
purchase. And I'm not going back all that long in time either.

It has reached the stage now that computers (IBM compatibles), have
reached a stage where they are no longer elite items as such, but they
are now commodity items. You can buy a reasonable machine from that
cut price vendor known as Dell for next to nothing. Quick glance at
their site shows a Celeron D based desktop with a 15in LCD for €522
including VAT!

Its no longer a case of the average person shelling out up to €1700
for a desktop with a 17in monitor, therefore they seem to have become
disposable. Of course the data stored isn't disposable and given most
of these machines come with XP they are susceptible to all kinds of
malware, exploits etc as most of us who are savvy enough are aware of.

Hence the current prediciment. Why pay someone like myself €100 to fix
a problem on a machine that is a couple of years old with maybe
additional parts required that might add another €200 onto the bill
when for a similar price you could buy a new machine?

If it is hardware related then the best you can get anyone to do for a
reasonable price is to get someone to retrieve the data for you. Or
maybe restore the machine to its factory supplied condition as a
result of some serious spyware, malware, viral infection which is the
more common.

But to try to draw a comparison, in the town that I live there used to
be no less than three individual shops that specialised in television
and VCR repairs. At the moment there are none. There is no longer a
need to get your television or video repaired, If it stops working
then you replace it. Simple as that.

Which leads back to your original question. Maybe an electronics
student or an electical student might be your best bet to see if they
can fix your Vaios as a project or a simple exercise to hone their
skills with a soldering iron but a Computer Science student student is
certainly the wrong person to ask, In most cases of course.. there
will always be the exceptions.

regards
Robert