1 Aug
2007
1 Aug
'07
5:18 p.m.
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.
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....
[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_. 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...)
-tony