The top 10 dead (or dying) computer skills

Vikingod · May 27, 2007, 07:31 PM

Source: ComputerWorld
__________
Those in search of eternal life need look no further than the computer industry. Here, last gasps are rarely taken, as aging systems crank away in back rooms across the U.S., not unlike 1970s reruns on Nickelodeon's TV Land. So while it may not be exactly easy for Novell NetWare engineers and OS/2 administrators to find employers who require their services, it's very difficult to declare these skills -- or any computer skill, really -- dead. (Readers have their own views on dead and dying skills.

Matth · May 28, 2007, 05:02 PM

Another dead skill, DOS memory tuning - being rediscovered by those who want to run old or newly freeware'd apps under dosbox. The (maybe disappeared by now) UKKEYB utility with a much lower memory footprint than "KEYB UK".

I could generally get almost as good a result using the good old "MEMMAKER" as many of the exotic UMB memory stacking utilities, with two simple rules.
1. If you need an EMS page frame, move it so that you do NOT make an extra division of UMB space.
2. Use memaker to determine the initial sizes, and where there are no start order requirements, move the largest initial sizes as early as possible in the start sequence - with no memaker (I think they dropped it in later versions), then sorting in descending final size order should work pretty well.

mkk · May 28, 2007, 08:20 PM

Give it a few more years of reign by all these local file search tools and the next lost skill will be knowing where your own goddamn files are...

BlueMak · May 28, 2007, 09:43 PM

Why do people hate cobol so much? It's a cool language. Oh well.

May 27, 2007, 07:31 PM	#1
Vikingod Int'l Fish Liaison Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: By the light of lamp I sit and type... Posts: 16,197 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	The top 10 dead (or dying) computer skills Source: ComputerWorld __________ Those in search of eternal life need look no further than the computer industry. Here, last gasps are rarely taken, as aging systems crank away in back rooms across the U.S., not unlike 1970s reruns on Nickelodeon's TV Land. So while it may not be exactly easy for Novell NetWare engineers and OS/2 administrators to find employers who require their services, it's very difficult to declare these skills -- or any computer skill, really -- dead. (Readers have their own views on dead and dying skills.

May 28, 2007, 05:02 PM	#2
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,426 Rep Power: 93 System Specs	Another dead skill, DOS memory tuning - being rediscovered by those who want to run old or newly freeware'd apps under dosbox. The (maybe disappeared by now) UKKEYB utility with a much lower memory footprint than "KEYB UK". I could generally get almost as good a result using the good old "MEMMAKER" as many of the exotic UMB memory stacking utilities, with two simple rules. 1. If you need an EMS page frame, move it so that you do NOT make an extra division of UMB space. 2. Use memaker to determine the initial sizes, and where there are no start order requirements, move the largest initial sizes as early as possible in the start sequence - with no memaker (I think they dropped it in later versions), then sorting in descending final size order should work pretty well. __________________ Mary had a little lamb, Her father shot it dead Now Mary takes her lamb to school, Between two crusts of bread

May 28, 2007, 09:43 PM	#4
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,475 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	Why do people hate cobol so much? It's a cool language. Oh well. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

May 28, 2007, 08:20 PM	#3
mkk Cthulhu/Dagon 2012 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Gefle, Sweden Posts: 4,495 Rep Power: 132 System Specs	Give it a few more years of reign by all these local file search tools and the next lost skill will be knowing where your own goddamn files are...