{"id":2225,"date":"2012-12-10T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-12-10T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/csw\/?p=2225"},"modified":"2025-06-23T19:09:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T00:09:45","slug":"dinosaur-me-an-attitude-from-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tameri.com\/csw\/2012\/12\/10\/dinosaur-me-an-attitude-from-the-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Dinosaur Me: An Attitude from the Past"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The first developers of IBM PC computers neglected audio capabilities (first IBM model, 1981). (Photo credit: Wikipedia<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Visalia Direct: Virtual Valley
\nDecember 10, 2012 Deadline
\nJanuary 2013 Issue<\/p>\n

Dinosaur Me: An Attitude from the Past<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDude, you\u2019re like a dinosaur of the PC era. PCs<\/a> aren\u2019t cool. We only use them to create phone apps.\u201d<\/p>\n

My students declared me a dinosaur after I suggested they should experiment with more software and programming tools on their personal computers.<\/p>\n

What about playing games on PCs? When I was in college, serious gamers assembled impressive PC systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsoles are better. Who wants to mess with computer hardware?\u201d<\/p>\n

I asked about the Web.<\/p>\n

\u201cDedicated apps on smartphones are better. Use the Facebook or Twitter app on your phone, not some cluttered Web page. Dude, seriously, you\u2019re a PC dino.\u201d<\/p>\n

When a student calls you a dinosaur, even in jest, it seems like a good moment for reflection. As the classroom emptied into the foggy night, I closed the lid of my MacBook<\/a> Pro and asked myself if he was right. Am I a dinosaur or do I have the wisdom of age?<\/p>\n

Personal computers are in decline. Sales of computers have stagnated, and in late 2012 Windows-based<\/a> PC sales dropped 21 percent according to the NPD Group. People are using phones, tablets, game consoles, and televisions to access the Internet. About half my students take notes on iPads, not laptop computers. They laugh because I own a \u201chuge\u201d laptop instead of a netbook or tablet.<\/p>\n

Few of my students are interested in assembling a high-end desktop computer from components. They aren\u2019t interested in computer languages or operating systems in the way I was, either. My students are technology users, and many plan technology careers, but the nature of being a \u201ctechie\u201d has evolved.<\/p>\n

One student\u2019s project this semester explored \u201ctech specs\u201d in hardware advertising. The computer features promoted aren\u2019t memory, storage capacity or processor speed. People want built-in Web cameras with lots of megapixels and high-resolution screens for movies.<\/p>\n

I used to flip through the pages of Computer Shopper and PC Magazine every month. I paused at every ad, wondering which motherboard had the latest expansion options. Was AMD<\/a> or Intel shipping the fastest processor this month? Which video card was fastest? The magazines were hundreds of pages thick, with ads for hardware and the latest programming tools. The 1980s and 90s now seem to be the Golden Age for computer hobbyists.<\/p>\n

In that Golden Age of yesteryear, hobbyists debated which programming tools and frameworks were the best for developing software. First, you decided which language to support. Did you want to code in BASIC, Pascal, or C? Then you had to choose a compiler. Borland\u2019s Turbo family of compilers had their loyal fans, including me, while other programmers used Microsoft\u2019s Quick compilers, which seemed to always lag behind the latest Borland features.<\/p>\n

Today, if you develop code for a Windows platform, the best choice is probably Microsoft\u2019s C# language. Apple developers have one choice, the Objective-C language and Cocoa frameworks. Android programmers use C++ and frameworks developed by Google. The \u201cclosed\u201d worlds of Apple and Microsoft have eliminated choices. Developer debates are pointless, since you can\u2019t choose another set of tools. You use what the big companies have decided you\u2019ll use.<\/p>\n

In the 1990s, if you were interested in business applications, you debated FoxPro versus dBase<\/a>, or any of a dozen other platforms for database development. I experimented with Paradox, Clipper, SuperBASE, Reflex, and Clarion database systems. I don\u2019t know anybody using a dedicated database development tool anymore. My last use of Microsoft Access was six years ago.<\/p>\n

Web developers tend to use MySQL<\/a> as a database server, not because it is great technically, but because it is easy to install and configure. Though I recommend PostgreSQL for business and Web applications, my students remind me that job postings ask for MySQL experience. Tech specs and features don\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

Web developers argue about which language is worse, Python or PHP, but they don\u2019t seem to be passionate advocates for one or the other. The debates center on why one language is less annoying than the other, and which has the least readable syntax. While there are other scripting languages available, too much code is already in use on servers for Web developers to embrace dramatic changes. Programmers accept mediocre tools. Sometimes an alternative finds a niche, but not often.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, few clients care about the tools software developers use, as long as a program works. Still, I am surprised that my technical students are ambivalent about programming tools and hardware.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t misunderstand; there are still heated debates between self-proclaimed geeks and nerds, including what those two labels mean. But my students cannot imagine the diversity of the early PC years. The debates today seem different, more about style than substance.<\/p>\n

\u201cMac versus PC\u201d is seldom about the genuine and complex technical differences between operating systems: it is a style debate.<\/p>\n

Most people are not programmers, but \u201cpower users\u201d once demanded choices, too. I miss having some basic choices when considering the software for my daily work. While choices still exist, they aren\u2019t practical for a variety of reasons. Earlier in my course, I had mentioned that I have tried various word processors, but inevitably return to Microsoft Word, which I don\u2019t like.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would you want a choice?\u201d a student asked. \u201cIsn\u2019t it better that we all use the same word processor?\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether you use an Apple MacBook Pro or the latest Dell Latitude laptop, the odds are that you use Microsoft Word to prepare letters and reports. I explained to my students that I used WordPerfect, WordStar<\/a>, Ami Pro, and XyWrite<\/a> over the years. Today, I use Word because that\u2019s what my colleagues and clients use. I show my students some alternatives, but the university document templates include features that do not work with other word processors.<\/p>\n

In a technical writing course, I show my students an advertisement for Borland\u2019s Quattro Pro spreadsheet. The ad lists the features of Quattro Pro, Lotus 1-2-3, and Microsoft Excel. My students don\u2019t understand that software was advertised in business magazines. There was competition among software publishers.<\/p>\n

\u201cProfessor Wyatt, you don\u2019t get it. Who wants to shop for a spreadsheet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe I am a dinosaur.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first developers of IBM PC computers neglected audio capabilities (first IBM model, 1981). (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Visalia Direct: Virtual Valley December 10, 2012 Deadline…<\/p>\n

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