[LINK] Let's pause before drinking the 'coding in schools' Kool-Aid

[James Collins]

I used to be a Systems Programmer/Analyst at Sperry/Univac. Until you've
seen the front panel on one them, and set a few register switches, you just
haven't lived! Best job in the world; greatest fun _ever_.

Some days I miss the simplicity of examining Core dumps and explaining to
Defence why a bit error meant their system ordered 25,000 left boots, but no
right ones...

Then I pick up my Tablet device and look for a Digital Movie to watch while
I engage in the International pool of information and create cooperative
systems using computer arrays that make the old Univac look like an
Abacus... Future's not so bad sometimes :)

-- James :) Collins     ::       Email: jamesc at au.wmit.net
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-----Original Message-----
From: link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au
[mailto:link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Sent: Friday, 5 June 2015 1:56 PM
To: dlochrin at d2.net.au; link at mailman.anu.edu.au
Subject: Re: [LINK] Let's pause before drinking the 'coding in schools'
Kool-Aid

On 5/06/2015 1:12 PM, David Lochrin wrote:
> Did you ever learn the boot sequence which had to be keyed in to those 
> neon-light register switches on the front panel of a Univac 418 (:-)?

No but I did learn it for a ConPac 4020 process control machine with 4k of
magnetic core and a paper-tape reader/punch

To run a program you had to first load the FORTRAN compiler tape, then the
program, the output being object code. Then load the linker tape and the
object code, the output being an executable. Then load the operating system
tape and the executable. Then press run.

All to get the square root of 4, or something as trivial.

All that now being useless knowledge. But the mathematics and theory behind
numerical analysis/programming of second order non-linear differential
equations means that I have a fundamental understanding of chaos and the
dangers of predictive models which I don't think most economists and modern
climate scientists have.

-- 

Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Sydney Australia
email: brd at iimetro.com.au
web:   www.drbrd.com
web:   www.problemsfirst.com
Blog:  www.problemsfirst.com/blog

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