Fwd: Re: [ILUG] Whatever happened to real computer scientists?

[moylan]

On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 15:21:12 +0100, Timothy Murphy
<tim at birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie> wrote:

>
> When I was young(er), computer scientists used to earn drinking money
> mending computers for those with more money and less sense.
>
> Has this tradition died out completely?

pretty much.  i used to spend a few evenings a month repairing windows
configurations but with the advent of viruses on the internet this was
becoming a daily task.  i don't do it any more.  if pushed by family
pressure i make them bring the computer to me and not me to the computer.
by requiring them to make an effort to transport their computer the calls
have dropped off.  i advise them to buy a mac but they can't be bothered
so neither can i.

> I've been looking for someone to sort out the tiny internal problems
> on my two dead Sony Picturebooks,
> and none of the students I have asked seemed able to help.

wouldn't touch sony with a baseball bat.  have a dead vaio laptop at work
that drove me bonkers for a couple of years.  lots of little annoying
problems.

>
> I can't make out if they have too much money,
> or not enough knowledge.

definitely not the first.

> Don't students learn how to solder, and use a voltmeter,
> and things like that any more?

computer hardware is now all fru (field replaceable units)  my boss used
to stay up late repairing floppy drives for cpm computers which when a
floppy drive cost a grand was worth it.  now a floppy drive is all but
obsolete and a new drive costs less than €10 its not worth hitting it with
a hammer!

for those handy with a soldering iron and voltmeters the money i believe
is in pic controllers.

>
> What exactly do they learn?
>

how to abuse microsoft licences?  how to listen to users lie on the phone
that they didn't change anything?

> And they don't look like computer people any more.
> I mean, they look quite normal.
>

i'll just pop off and put on my blue socks and brown sandles. :-)

moylan

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