2 Aug
2007
2 Aug
'07
9:23 p.m.
On Wednesday 01 August 2007 18:18, Tony Duell wrote:
The problem comes from the fact that there are only a finite number of
seconds in a day :-)
Indeed.
TTL can be fun. I breadboarded a three-chip setup once with a 555, a 7400,
and a 7474 that sequenced four LEDs. Stuff like that...
Over and over again I see newbies struggling with what they're trying to do
and what the simulation is telling them should be happening, which isn't
necessarily all that connected to the real world.
That's why I'm doing what I'm doing just now, a very non-technical job, but
at least it's helping to pay the bills....
--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin
That sort of thing tends to not have very much use in
today's job
market, unfortunately.
That's absolutely correct, because most HR drones don't actually
look for people who know anything about computers. If Joe wants to
learn something about computers, as opposed to learning only what's
guaranteed to get him a job in a suitly company, then I very strongly
recommend that he pursue the path that he discussed above. . If you're not careful you can end up in my
position, knwoing a bit about
things that nobody seems to want, but not having the right buzzwords on your
resume to actually get a job.
That sure sounds familiar... :-)
Joe...As
for your not being hopeful about building a TTL-based
computer from scratch...The knowledge required to do it is readily
available. If you REALLY want to do it, you can. Your father's
I will second that. I am living (?) proof that it's possible to
understand this stuff. It didn't take me _that_ long either. assertion that
he couldn't do it after six years of college is really
irrelevant here...not many college EE programs teach anything about
low-level computer architecture, and sadly, even fewer CS programs
do. Learn about boolean algebra, learn about Karnaugh maps and other
minimization techniques, learn about combinatorial and sequential
And learn to do it 'by hand', not just using CAD tools. The latter are
undoubtedly very useful, but knowing how to do things by hand will let
you know when said CAD systems have made a right mess of your design. logic...not
only will you be able to design and build a TTL-based
computer, but you'll end up knowing more about *computers* (as
opposed to "how to install Microsoft products on PCs") than most
anyone churned out by today's colleges.
It's a great pity the latter is all most people care about. It is,
perhaps, a little worrying that I am classed as computer-illiterate.... From time to time we get a mailing from the local
community college, and
that's all they seem to cover in there--- m$ products,
to a few different
levels. Nothing beyond that. It's downright scary at times.
[I choose not to use Microsoft products, or much
commercial software at
all for that matter, for what I consider to be good reasons _for my own
situation_.
As do I.
Yes I could learn how to install and use such
programs, probably in a couple
of afternoons. And I'd like to see any of the so-called PC experts
understand a microcode source listing in the same length of time :-)]
:-)
Further
(also directed at Joe)...As you already very obviously
know, it's actually possible for one to learn something without it
being spoon-fed in a school.
Very much so! Now, how do you convince droids of that? Both the sort that
try to enforce bogus safety regulations ('No, we can't sell you that
spare part, you're not trained to fit it' when actually I could _make_
said part in an hour or so...) and those that work in HR departments 'No,
Dr Duell, you don't have the right qualfiications for this job' meaning I
don't have some bit of paper saying I know how to turn on a PC, even
though I routinely design such things...)