Top 10 Dead (or Dying) Computer Skills

Lucas123 writes "Computerworld reporter Mary Brandel spoke with academics and head hunters to compile this list of computer skills that are dying but may not yet have taken their last gasp. The article's message: Obsolescence is a relative — not absolute — term in the world of technology. 'In the early 1990s, it was all the rage to become a Certified NetWare Engineer, especially with Novell Inc. enjoying 90% market share for PC-based servers. "It seems like it happened overnight. Everyone had Novell, and within a two-year period, they'd all switched to NT," says David Hayes, president of HireMinds LLC in Cambridge, Mass.'"

Number 1

[Anonymous Coward]

Most people's ability to write normal structured english sentances

Re:Number 1

[stinerman]

And the ability to use spell checkers...

If only...

[26199]

...writing unreliable, poorly-documented, just-about-does-the-job-and-only-if-you-get-lucky code would go out of fashion.

Sadly it seems to be here to stay. In fact with the better availability/quality of scripting languages it is, if anything, becoming more popular...

Re:LaTeX

[serviscope_minor]

You're the lazy one. You know, avoiding all that tracking of cross references, mindless reformatting, applying styles, and doing battle with the (still) inadequate equation editor. Slacker.

Re:C? You must be kidding

[anvilmark]

This SO reminds me of a comment one of our business users made to my boss a couple years back:

"We don't need sockets anymore, everything is going to Web now..."

F77/F90/F95 aren't on the list.

[i_like_spam]

Yeah! Does that mean that my FORTRAN programming skills are still marketable?

"What will the language of the year 2000 look like? Nobody knows, but it will be called FORTRAN." John W. Backus

Memory Tuning

[bobdehnhardt]

Back in the days of DOS, when everything had to fit in 640KB RAM (give or take), the ability to load device drivers into UMBs and High Memory. Now there were tools you could use, like QEMM [wikipedia.org] or memmaker in MS-DOS 6, but Real Admins did it by hand.

I carried a specially tuned DOS disk around with me, and would whip it out whenever anyone complained that a certain program wouldn't load. Boot off the floppy (with around 630KB conventional memory available after all drivers loaded), run the program with no problem, deliver the classic "It works for me" tech support line, slip the boot disk back into my pocket, and leave the user convinced they're doing something wrong.

Ah, good times, good times....

Re:What is NT?

[damn_registrars]

I believe it to be
Neanderthal Technology

Re:c ? really?

[Penguinshit]

Or do what I did and move into management...

Re:10 more dying computer skills

[Duhavid]

You are supposed to start with 10, and increment by 10.

Re:Some of the list looks good

[Chibi Merrow]

And a modern C program is quite incomprehensible except to the guy who wrote it. :)

Re:dovetail

[Stormwatch]

10 PRINT "What, no BASIC?"
20 GOTO 10

Re:c ? really?

[Javagator]

I thought that COBOL would never die

Wait until Y3K. Then everyone will come crawling back, offering COBOL programmers big bucks.

Re:c ? really?

[gfody]

hi Peter

Re:c ? really?

[Max Littlemore]

I found that out with plenty of time to learn other stuff like Java and so forth

WTF? I mean, I can understand learning Java to update your skills, but forth? And how does learning java lead to learning forth anyway?

Must be one of those ancient COBOL codgers who's lost his marbles. ;-P

Re:c ? really?

[mehtars]

Wait until Y3K

I think you will only need to wait till 2100

Re:Amateur's make me laugh.

[mikaelhg]

> Name one other system that does everything that Notes does. And I mean everything.

Matt's a flaming asshole who manages to make everyone miserable and lose us business, but we can't fire him.

Name one other person who can kind of deliver the mail, kind of answer the phones, do some of the bookkeeping, unclog the toilet, and kind of drive a 18-wheeler?

Of course, a reasonable manager who understood some of these things would conclude that since these days it's possible to hire well trained, specialized and pleasant professionals to do all of these things, some of which are business critical, it makes sense to break up this arbitrary collection of tasks which have no real synergy, fire Matt, and hire modern, well adjusted professionals to run the business.

Re:Typing

[swordgeek]

Funny, that's the first thing that I thought of too.

When I was in elementary school (before most of /. was born), I taught myself to touch-type, to impress a girl. When I was in high-school, I could easily type 70+WPM without mistakes.

Now I type less than that with typos, and MUCH less than that if I have to do it without typos. I know I could get my speed and accuracy back up to snuff with some work (and once a year or so I force myself to work on accuracy again), but as a sysadmin who types for 8+ hours/day, neither fast or accruage typing is a requirement any longer.

Re:c ? really?

[mcmonkey]

If web apps will replace C then why is the hottest web company of all looking for C programmers?

Read
Ye olde tyme C programmer: What's this? A bona fide, genuine, certified job ad! Yes sir, a job ad.

Think
Mouse: What's this? Cheese? And served up on this little platform. Must be my lucky day, squeak.

*snap*

;)

Re:Other dead skills

[saitoh]

> FORTRAN got NASA to the moon, but NASA uses Java or Python now.

That clarifies many, many things about NASA. Thank you.

Re:IT is More Than Software

[Yer Mom]

I regularly see software that comes on 9 track reels and other ancient equipment.. My biggest shock was seeing in downtown Toronto equipment that still uses vacuum tubes.

I bet it has a lovely rich, warm sound, though...

Re:They said something else.

[rs79]

"You got a big gray beard, too?"

No, I'm clean shaven and have all of my long blond hair. I like long walks on the beach and pina coladas. I'm good with kids and dogs.

You better be a chick, bitch.

Re:c ? really?

[polar red]

C is a niche language.

that's an 'H' too much.

Re:Typing

[radarsat1]

I taught myself to touch-type, to impress a girl.

Interesting technique you have.

neither fast or accruage typing is a requirement any longer.

Case in point. ;-)