[vcf-midatlantic] OT: people don't understand computers anymore

[Dave Wade]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: vcf-midatlantic [mailto:vcf-midatlantic-
> bounces at lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org] On Behalf Of Evan Koblentz via
> vcf-midatlantic
> Sent: 07 June 2016 19:29
> To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic at lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org>
> Cc: Evan Koblentz <evan at snarc.net>
> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: people don't understand computers anymore
> 
> >> where an operating system requires billions of bytes of RAM just to boot.
> 
> Devil's advocate... so what? Storage is basically free now.

I am sorry to say but its not "Only" computers. So a year or two ago my son asked "how do you tune a car to go faster". 

My answer was, in the past you might have :-

1. Polished the manifolds to allow faster air flow.
2. Fitted bigger valves to improve air flow.
3. Fitted a better carburettor to get more fuel into the engine.
4. Changed to a "sports cam" for improved air and fuel.
5. Fitted a sports exhaust.
6. If really serious bore it out or fit a crank shaft with a longer stroke to increase cubic capacity
7. Fit High Compression Pistons....

Of course these days you just change the chip in the Engine Management Unit....	
... but the same goes for other technologies, e.g. Radio and TV. I could, if I wanted to build a color TV or an FM Stereo radio using basic components. I could not build a digital TV or Radio because the software involved is now so complex that I no longer have the skills to understand it.  

The problem is that the level of skill needed to understand the technology TOTALLY is now so high that folks can no longer do this.
You talked about CS graduates and low level constructs, but at the next level up how many understand that Windows at least is still a message switch.
Mostly they don't need to know and don't know....

Dave
G4UGM