[Info-vax] Seasons Greetings

[Bill Gunshannon]

In article <673db$495d5156$cef8b0f3$24305 at teksavvy.com-free>,
	"John Smith \(not the one @ HP\)" <a at nonymous.com> writes:
> 
> "Neil Rieck" <n.rieck at sympatico.ca> wrote in message 
> news:3b0eebdf-94cb-4d69-8c82-a58bdd85cfca at f24g2000vbf.googlegroups.com...
> 
> When pressed further about rewriting business apps in modern computer
> languages, he simply stated that those languages do not have the
> features of COBOL so it was unlikely that big businesses would be
> changing to something else anytime soon, if ever. So it was more
> likely that older programmers would be pulled out of retirement before
> schools started to place more emphasis on languages like COBOL when
> training the next generation"

And this, once again, shows the complete lack of understanding the IT world
has of the educational world.  No CS or CIS program worth its salt "teaches
languages".  Wirth didn't create Pascal so he could teach Pascal.  A good
CS/CIS graduate comes out of school knowing how to program.  The language
should be chosen based on the task at hand and the capabilities of the
various languages.  Actually coding in a given language is just syntax.

Maybe what is needed is for some of us old-timers to think of this as a
different type of opportunity.  Maybe we shouldn't be looking at going
back to work programming COBOL but ginding jobs teaching COBOL to people
already schooled in programming thru things like Continuing Education
Programs.

bill


-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>