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Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?

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Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?

#531

Post by jdofaz »

pakitan wrote: post #494
toadi wrote: post #451

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm 43 now and working like 23 years in IT in various roles. Started a few companies and did that all on a high school diploma. One of my dreams is when I retire to finally go to university and get a proper degree.This more for emotional sentiment. My grandfather was a (fighter)pilot and later he worked senior management at a bank. His biggest regret was not going to uni himself(poor parents and the army paid for it)…

> One of my dreams is when I retire to finally go to university and get a proper degree.This more for emotional sentiment I'm around same age and experience, though I'm actually getting a degree now. My advice is - don't. It's an unbelievable waste of money and time. My initial goal was to leverage the degree into a better job but my plans changed and now I'll just be left with a useless piece of paper. In any case,…

I finished an associates degree at 38 from a community college, one of the credits I used was 20 years old. I would agree some of the classes were box checking and pointless.

The degree itself isn't useful but it did make me take a few classes I wouldn't have otherwise. I took physics 101 in person and absolutely loved it, I took art history online and didn't expect to like it but it turned out interesting.

Assuming you can go somewhere where the credits don't expire I suggest taking one class a time when you have time available. Read the rate my professor reviews and look for the good teachers. Most of the time online is fine but don't be afraid to take a class in person, lots of older students at night classes.

Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?

#533

Post by mech422 »

FearNotDaniel wrote: post #428
mech422 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have the same 3 monitor, 'computer glasses' setup... Did your optometrist give you grief about them? The first time I said I wanted a pair of single focus lenses for the computer (so I could use my whole field of view..), I got a lot of flak about "you should get bifocals". I haven't needed to drive anywhere in the last couple of years, so I basically never where my distance glasses anymore. lately though.. Seems l…

That's interesting. In the UK, it's pretty much standard. In fact I think (IANAL) that employment law mandates that the company has to pay for your amusingly-named "VDU" glasses if the majority of your work is in front of a screen and the optometrist says you need them. I got some recently and it's changed my life after several uncomfortable years of peering at odd angles through varifocals.

That's what worried me about it...having to move my head too much in order to see the screens. I have big lenses that let me use my peripheral vision naturally.

Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?

#534

Post by geophile »

elwell wrote: post #514
geophile wrote: post #325

Being 63, I don't get to say this very often: I am one of the youngest people in this conversation. Delighted to read these stories about even-older-than-me old-timers. Even though I am a relative spring chicken, I'll list my old-timey computing experiences: - Started programming on programmable Wang and Monroe calculators. - PDP-8m in high school. 12k 12-bit words for four terminals running Basic. By special arrange…

> Picked up Emacs in 1985 and now it's in my fingertips. I don't think this means the dreaded 'emacs pinky'...

My left pinky is like Arnold Schwarzenegger's bicep, thanks to emacs.

Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?

#535

Post by TaylorAlexander »

michaelcampbell wrote: post #515
TaylorAlexander wrote: post #388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“The Universal Systems Language (USL) is based on a preventive, development-before-the-fact philosophy that does not allow errors in, in the first place.” Funny that there’s an error in that sentence.

Which is? The 2 "in"'s seem correct to me.

Oh really? Seems wrong to me.

Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?

#536

Post by marstall »

intpete wrote: post #323
marstall wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for sharing ... how did you manage the panic attacks in the end?

Thanks for asking! The nature of the illness varies somewhat over time. The panic attacks only seemed to happen when I was in a room with a large group of people. So quitting school largely removed me from those situations. I was diagnosed as Bipolar 2 in 1997 by a psychiatrist in Manhattan, where I was living with my girlfriend. I started having true bipolar symptoms in USAF Basic Training but made it through (talk…

thank you! checking out EMDR now ... I think I will ask my therapist about it.

Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?

#537

Post by imhoguy »

KineticLensman wrote: post #176

Respect! I've only been programming since approx 1979. I still remember the first time that I saw internet technology used in 1982 - transferring a file from the US to the Uni of Leeds in the UK. I also have no plans to stop although I have retired from full-time employment. Now just a hobbyist, who programs every few days, at my own pace and on my own projects. Here's my own thought. My last place of work did a lot…

> I think my message for people who want to stay involved with the tech is to decouple their enjoyment of it from their career aspirations.

Thank you for your words! I hope to retire soon from headless chicken corporate job and to bring back a joy of programming art.

Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?

#538

Post by kshacker »

giardini wrote: post #437
jlokier wrote: post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Then after 2 stents and change in lifestyle, I find I can do same or more than what I could do 5 years back, maybe a decade back. What kind of change in lifestyle made such a positive difference for you?

Yes, and was a woman involved?*-))

I do not understand the asterisk reference, but nope.

Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?

#539

Post by kshacker »

badpun wrote: post #487
kshacker wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It varies from person to person, but for me: cut down/eliminate sugar (my soda consumption is now 1-2/year whereas earlier it would be every day, multiple sometimes), cut down/eliminate lattes, eat only as per hunger, diet is more of a whole foods plant based but I take eggs regularly and meat once a week while shunning all packaged/frozen food. Still lot more veggies than carbs. And exercise, it is not an option, yo…

> Still lot more veggies than carbs. Uh, vegies are mostly carbs?

Sorry I am not a doctor and at a superficial level I was thinking of veggies vs bad carbs. Would not go further because what I know, I know, but I am sure it can be challenged and people will do better to read on these.

Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?

#540

Post by derangedHorse »

Kinrany wrote: post #270
chrisweekly wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you really care so much, why not simply embrace TypeScript?

TypeScript is awesome compared to JavaScript and even to other popular C-like languages. But it inherits all of the problems of the JS ecosystem without providing all of the benefits. To make a JS package consumable by a reasonably strict TS project, someone has to basically rewrite the package. It's less effort than writing one from scratch, but it's not free.

The typescript compiler can be a bit slow at times as well which dramatically lowers the developer experience when using typescript
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