mgrennan

Joined 11 years ago

Karma

148

Submissions

Member since

Mar 9

40 years in IT starting with the 4004 and hardware design. Years of open source development and now a DBA for a weather company.

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Recent submissions

Comment · 5 years ago

If I could up vote this 100 times I would. I love open source. But 40 years in computing (hardware to apps) has left me with questions. Like, Why could I write an entire Point of Sale system in 64K in 1987 (Apple - The Store Manager) and now you couldn't do it in 64G.

Comment · 6 years ago

I can't believe this is a thing. I showed this to my grade school teacher and she told me I was doing it WRONG. I just new it worked so I kept using it.

Comment · 6 years ago

After 40+ years as in electronic, software developer, OS and App, Networking, SysAdmin, DBA and DevOps I see it all as a multi discipline. Knowledge in Electronics, CPU design, Compiler development, OS design, communications, Business management and user interfaces all relate and a "Rock Star" would need to be an expert in them all.

Most Dev's stop with App dev and business design. Some go on to UI or compiler performance. System a little and communications and electronics almost never.

Comment · 6 years ago

No man's Life, Liberty, or Property is safe while the legislature is in session. - Will Rogers

Comment · 6 years ago

Has anyone seen a RID device? Are any available? Approved? Will this be a "LAW before the device" like CA Gun Microstamping?

Comment · 6 years ago

Jason Scott uploaded all the video he took trailing to places making the BBS Documentary to the Internet archive. There is more there.

Comment · 7 years ago

"checks fall of the list" issue has always been a thing. There is a term in electronics call "Muntzing". Named after Earl Muntz who, after the engineers created a thing (TV) he would start pulling parts until it failed. Then call it good. This did two things. Made the product cheaper and caused service calls to fix (Put back parts). He made money both ways. The "Anti Safty" issue is management's form of Muntzing the code.

Comment · 7 years ago

Funny you say that. When I was sending compressed FidoNet Trafic (Looking like encryption) to Soviet block countries I got a knock on my door from men in black suits (FBI) asking me what I was doing?

Comment · 7 years ago

If you like this document you should watch the documentary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBS:_The_Documentary

During this time I was the REGION 9 cordionar for Fidonet and latter to become the president of IFNA.

I agree Fidonet suffered from politics from the first meeting in Coloradio Springs. As a software development project and public resource it was fasinating to see it work. Even the side stories should be told. SeaDog and ARC data compression (Later to become ZIP). Xmodem and SLIP are also tied into these stories.

I don't miss the $800 dolar phone bills I plaid for myself or the politics. I do miss the people.

My personal contribution was "The Communicator" modem program (Freeware AKA Open Source) and the inspration for ProComm.

Comment · 8 years ago

Thanks for this. This is such an exciting field. W5TSU

Comment · 8 years ago

Wounderful radio. w5tsu.net:8073

Comment · 8 years ago

As a person with 40+ years experence (Yes I started with a 4004) I aggee. Change is constend and the advancement of more and more complex systems is inevitable. Most of these is good but some with issues. The quote "A sufictly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" describes an ADVANCED tech. I believe it is the speed we are developing the tech that is the problem. We are more often then not ignoring the wisdom of senior developers.

Comment · 8 years ago

I have developed a term for this. EARLY ADOPTER TECH DEBT.

Comment · 9 years ago

And if the went so busy putting as steering wheel on the skateboard they might have some time to thing about how the seatbelt fits and bumpers. Speed Kills.

Comment · 9 years ago

Having worked for the state, I learned licensing is about protecting jobs of the license holders now protecting the public. Case in point. You need to go to school for two years to be a beautician. You only need to go to school for six months to be a Cop and carry a gun.