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Dreaming of going underground can symbolize a journey to the subconscious, or it can mean that the dreamer is wrestling with issues he or she is afraid to face. In addition, venturing underground during a dream can mean the dreamer is ready to explore previously hidden issues.

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mardi 5 juin 2007

The top 10 dead (or dying) computer skills

Those in search of eternal life need look no further than the computer industry. Here, last gasps are rarely taken, as aging systems crank away in back rooms across the U.S., not unlike 1970s reruns on Nickelodeon's TV Land. So while it may not be exactly easy for Novell NetWare engineers and OS/2 administrators to find employers who require their services, it's very difficult to declare these skills -- or any computer skill, really -- dead. (Readers have their own views on dead and dying skills. Others offer their own suggestions for the pyre.)

In fact, the harder you try to declare a technology dead, it seems, the more you turn up evidence of its continuing existence. Nevertheless, after speaking with several industry stalwarts, we've compiled a list of skills and technologies that, while not dead, can perhaps be said to be in the process of dying. Or as Stewart Padveen, Internet entrepreneur and currently founder of AdPickles Inc., says, "Obsolescence is a relative -- not absolute -- term in the world of technology."

1. Cobol
Y2k was like a second gold rush for Cobol programmers who were seeing dwindling need for their skills. But six-and-a-half years later, there's no savior in sight for this fading language. At the same time, while there's little curriculum coverage anymore at universities teaching computer science, "when you talk to practitioners, they'll say there are applications in thousands of organizations that have to be maintained," says Heikki Topi, chair of computer information services at Bentley College in Waltham, Mass., and a member of the education board for the Association for Computing Machinery.

And for those who want to help do that, you can actually learn Cobol at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, which according to Mary Sumner, a professor there, still offers a Cobol course. "Two of the major employers in the area still use Cobol, and for many of their entry-level jobs, they want to see that on the transcript," she says. "Until that changes, we'd be doing the students a disservice by not offering it." (see also: "Cobol Coders: Going, Going, Gone? ")

2. Nonrelational DBMS
In the 1980s, there were two major database management systems approaches: hierarchical systems, such as IBM's IMS and SAS Institute Inc.'s System 2000, and network DBMS, such as CA's IDMS and Oracle Corp.'s DBMS, formerly the VAX DBMS. Today, however, both have been replaced by the relational DBMS approach, embodied by SQL databases such as DB2, Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server, says Topi. "The others are rarely covered anymore in database curricula," he says.

3. Non-IP networks
TCP/IP has largely taken over the networking world, and as a result, there's less demand than ever for IBM Systems Network Architecture (SNA) skills. "It's worth virtually nothing on the market," says David Foote, president of Foote Partners LLC in New Canaan, Conn. Foote tracks market pay for individual IT skills, which companies usually pay as a lump sum or a percentage of workers' base pay, either as a bonus or an adjustment to their base salary. SNA, Foote says, commands less than 1% premium pay. "It's like a penny from 1922 -- there has to be someone who wants to buy it."

Despite the fact that many banks, insurance firms and other companies still have large investments in SNA networks, the educational offerings in this area are also rare, according to Topi. "The dominant model of protocols is TCP/IP and the Internet technologies," he says.

4. cc:Mail
This store-and-forward LAN-based e-mail system from the 1980s was once used by about 20 million people. However, as e-mail was integrated into more-complex systems such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange, its popularity waned, and in 2000, it was withdrawn from the market. According to Foote, "cc:Mail is a bygone era. Now e-mail is tied into everything else, and cc:Mail didn't make that leap." Just the same, the product continues to be commercially supported by Global System Services Corp. in Mountain View, Calif.

5. ColdFusion
This once-popular Web programming language -- released in the mid-1990s by Allaire Corp. (which was later purchased by Macromedia Inc., which itself was acquired by Adobe Systems Inc.) -- has since been superseded by other development platforms, including Microsoft Corp.'s Active Server Pages and .Net, as well as Java, Ruby on Rails, Python, PHP and other open-source languages. Debates continue over whether ColdFusion is as robust and scalable as its competitors, but nevertheless, premiums paid for ColdFusion programmers have dropped way off, according to Foote. "It was really popular at one time, but the market is now crowded with other products," he says.

6. C programming
As the Web takes over, C languages are also becoming less relevant, according to Padveen. "C++ and C Sharp are still alive and kicking, but try to find a basic C-only programmer today, and you'll likely find a guy that's unemployed and/or training for a new skill," he says. (see also: "Hot Skills, Cold Skills ")

7. PowerBuilder
Recruiters that have been around since the 1990s, such as David Hayes, president of HireMinds LLC in Cambridge, Mass., remember when PowerBuilder programmers were "hot, hot, hot," as he says. Developed by Powersoft Inc., this client/server development tool in 1994 was bought by Sybase Inc., which was once a strong Oracle competitor.

Today, PowerBuilder developers are at the very bottom of the list of in-demand application development and platform skills, with pay about equal to Cobol programmers, according to Foote. Nevertheless, the product keeps on trucking, with PowerBuilder 11 expected this year, which has the ability to generate .Net code. (see also: "35 Technologies that shaped the industry ")

8. Certified NetWare Engineers
In the early 1990s, it was all the rage to become a Certified NetWare Engineer, especially with Novell Inc. enjoying 90% market share for PC-based servers. Today, however, you don't have to look far to find CNEs retraining themselves with other skills to stay marketable. "It seems like it happened overnight," Hayes says. "Everyone had Novell, and within a two-year period, they'd all switched to NT." Novell says it will continue supporting NetWare 6.5 through at least 2015; however, it has also retired several of its NetWare certifications, including Master CNE and NetWare 5 CNE, and it plans to retire NetWare 6 CNE. "Companies are still paying skill premiums for CNEs, but they're losing value," Foote says.

9. PC network administrators
With the accelerating move to consolidate Windows servers, some see substantially less demand for PC network administrators. "You see the evidence for that in the demise of those programs at the technical and two-year schools and the loss of instructors," says Nate Viall, president of Nate Viall & Associates, an AS/400 (iSeries) recruiting company.

10. OS/2
A rough translation of OS/2 could be "wrong horse." Initially created by Microsoft and IBM and released with great fanfare in 1987, the collaboration soon unraveled, and after repeated rumors of its demise, IBM finally discontinued sales in 2005. OS/2 still has a dedicated community, however, and a company called Serenity Systems International still sells the operating system under the name eComStation. (see also: "IBM, Bankers at Odds Over OS/2 Migration Path ")

Labels: computador, computer, design, error, server, underpop.online.fr, webmasters

posted by mikhail | mardi, juin 05, 2007 | 0 Comments, Links to this post,

dimanche 4 avril 2004

404

Latest Additions
homestarrunner.com Has the classic number 404 on an index card with some doodles. Has links for the lost user. Even yells 404 at the lost user. Screen shot. Email entry.

christop.com Has the classic 404 in the title bar. Shows a different picture with each missed link. Very nice images, worth hitting over and over again. Screen shot. Email entry. sorabji.com A different type of 404 page. Has the classic 404 file not found. An entry field to tell the what you were looking for, but will actually post on the 404 page for all to see, message board. Also a pull down menu to find your way. Very NICE! Screen shot. Email entry. fubar Has a graphical 404 with a women shouting, screaming, or something. Warning there is a certain nasty word being used here. Even without the wording, the graphic is what makes this 404 page. Clicking on the image will send the lost one back to the f?c?ed up beyond all recognition front page. Screen shot Friend entry. www.psyklone.com Has a mock intrusion 404 page showing that files are being removed from the intruder's machine. Graphical 404. No 404 text mentioned. No links to help the lost user. Elfwood A very well crafted graphic showing a wooded area with a fairy, and includes the classic 404 in it. Contains a link to get the user back to the front page. Screen shot. Email entry. gaijin.com Graphical 404 error page. Contains a drop down menu at the top of the page to help the lost user. Has two 404 graphics. Has been on the top of the main list long enough. Screen shot. Email entry. 3D Realms. Great 404! Changes images with each hit or refresh. Has images of current and past employees, slightly altered. 404NORD - Page Not Found in the page. Screen shot. Email entry. The Dismembered Youth Crops! Has the 404. Has a graphic of a really shocked individual. Two links to help the lost user. Screen Shot. Email entry. Scriba Org Graphical 404 page, showing someone having a nightmare (they must have hit an ugly 404 page in their dream). Large yellow 404 in image with several other reasons why the person in the image is in dismay. Links to help the lost one. Screen shot Email entry. GlassDog World Domination Headquarters Its Big! Its graphical! And its a 404 page! No actual 404 on the page, but a "Four Oh Four, Baby!" in the title. Check out the headquarters as well. Email entry, thanks! April 1999. Screen Shot. Flab Jab! Its small and has a single image stating & You are lost. (get found) & Clicking on the graphic sends the user to the main page. This error page has the classic 404 in the title. Screen shot. Email entry. spacegirl Very bright 404 page stating "you in the wrong place at the wrong time." If you look good, you can see the faint, large 404. Something to look at in the morning to awake up. Clicking on the 404 sends the user to the main page. Screen Shot. darksquirrel.com Nice, clean, large graphically 404 page. No links for the lost user, but page will send one to the main page after 15 seconds. There is also a link to send email, move mouse over the dark squirrel. Screen shot. Email entry. Geek Core Shows ahhhh, I guess a geek. His appearance is something like a "Kilroy was here" drawing, with bulging eyes. screen shot Email entry. Burning Man Although I have never been there, I like the animated graphic and the BUMMER. I think a burning 404 would look nice! screen shot Gillian Anderson Estrogen Brigade Has the classic 404 error in graphical format. Has a picture of one of the stars. Clean with one link back to the front page for those that are lost and looking for the truth. Screen shot Email entry. Big Mister C This page has a very large, green, could be mean, 404 graphic. Ok, so sometimes bigger is better (wide too). Anyway, links for the lost user, clean 404. I like it. Screen Shot. Email entry. JTHZ Productions Very large graphical 404 page. Would explain more, but you just need to see it. Email entry. Screen Shot. Email entry. Linux.com Large graphical 404 with everyone's, well almost everyone's, favorite penguin. Search field to help the lost user with link back to front page. superbad.com Although not a very helpful 404 page, its interesting "HTML" art. No 404, but I like it. screen shot things imagined Has a graphical 404 with the classic number included. Has an image of a fax machine in which the buttons are rollovers and links to other areas on the page. Very useful for the lost ones. Screen Shot. Email entry. EarthCam. Has a graphical 404 page. A useful link to their front page to help the lost user. 404 in the title window. Screen Shot Modern Gypsy Very nice graphical 404. An OOPs! to the lost user with several links to get the lost one on their way. Screen capture. Email entry. paradigm.nu This page is dedicated to the "The Ballad of Code 200". A good read and 404. Has the classic 404 in the text, javascript rollover navigation graphics to help the lost traveler. Nice clean page. screen shot. Email entry. SJ Games No 404, but each time you hit the page a different text appears stating what might have happened to the missing page. email entry. Bethany College. Has the classic 404 and someone I remember growing up with during my childhood. Screen capture. Phrantic's Trailerpark Great page. Lots of graphics, the 404, and links out of your abandoned trailer. Unfortunately, this page is no longer available. Check out the screen shot of this lost page. Email entry. Power and Data Technology Inc. Continuing in the milk carton 404 theme. Contains the ever useful 404 error with some helpful tips. Nice image of the milk carton. Screen shot. Email entry! The Real Beer Page. Has graphics and form entries. Does not contain the classic 404, but just File Not Found. But this is made up for in the FREE virtual beer. Screen shot. Friend entry! JavaSoft This 404 has improved! Lots of graphics, a graphical 404, a java applet, and links to help ya out. I like it. Screen shot. Lego. Does not have the classic 404 in the page, but in the title bar. Shows a construction crew made out of Legos working on the problem. Toolbar on the right side, a plus, to aid the lost user. Screen Shot. Email entry. Florida Online A simple page. Has the 404 and a graphic of the milk carton. Screen shot. Email entry. squishymatter Nice, clean, simple 404 page. Javascript mouse rollovers to make selections, "squishy." Links to help the lost user. Screen shot. Afterdinner. No classic 404 shown, but interesting and distrubing at the same time. I like it!!! Just take a look. Screen shot. Email entry. mesmerized.org Nice, simple, graphical 404, page, with links for the lost traveler. Like it. screen shot. Bethany College Has the classic 404. Not much to help the lost user. It is an oldie, but a goodie. Oh no.... Screen shot. Friend entry. snark.co.il The 404 in the page and in the title. Has, what looks to be, an old women from a classic movie asking "O, are we lost, Dear?" There is a link to the front page. If you got time, take a look at that front page. Screen shot. brutal.comHas a bunny that changes position with every hit. cold-dead-fish.com Has a harsh 404 page, stating that you are an idiot. Email entry. Allusive.Net Has a graphical 404 image. Nice background image. Rest of page interesting! screen shot Inficad Computing and Design - Once lost, but now back. Lots of graphics and the classic 404. Thanks Christopher! Screen shot. zug.com Pages shows some other things that are missing besides this page. Contains links for the lost user. Email entry.
Non-internet 404. Took the car in to get repaired and this is the number they gave. Somehow they knew?