The humanities may seem pointless, but that is the point

[brian ross]

It depends on the employer -
with some technical jobs a degree won't help you -
you need to do TAFE and other courses to be up to date with skills that employers want.
Experience is worth more than anything -
however I notice that many jobs require you to have a relevant degree before applying.

In my experience, a university degree teaches you how things occur. TAFE just teaches you what happens when they occur. If you want someone who understands why something happens the way it does, go to a person with a university degree.

In IT, if I want to understand how TCP/IP works, I consult a university trained Systems Engineer. If I want TCP/IP to work, I consult a TAFE trained Systems Administrator. He can connect up the devices and get them to talk to one another but is at a loss when that doesn't work, whereas the Systems Engineer can figure out the reasons why it isn't working.

Only the person who wrote the software knows how it works.

Not if they want it to work with other devices they don't, Bobby.

A lot of devices are "plug and pray" these days.

And when it doesn't play, what do you do with it, Bobby? Throw it away or do you at least endeavour to make it work? Mmmm?

[Bobby]

In my experience, a university degree teaches you how things occur. TAFE just teaches you what happens when they occur. If you want someone who understands why something happens the way it does, go to a person with a university degree.

In IT, if I want to understand how TCP/IP works, I consult a university trained Systems Engineer. If I want TCP/IP to work, I consult a TAFE trained Systems Administrator. He can connect up the devices and get them to talk to one another but is at a loss when that doesn't work, whereas the Systems Engineer can figure out the reasons why it isn't working.

Only the person who wrote the software knows how it works.

Not if they want it to work with other devices they don't, Bobby.

A lot of devices are "plug and pray" these days.

And when it doesn't play, what do you do with it, Bobby? Throw it away or do you at least endeavour to make it work? Mmmm?

If it's windows 10 that doesn't drive an older device you hook
up an old win7 or win XP laptop and make it work.

[brian ross]

Only the person who wrote the software knows how it works.

Not if they want it to work with other devices they don't, Bobby.

A lot of devices are "plug and pray" these days.

And when it doesn't play, what do you do with it, Bobby? Throw it away or do you at least endeavour to make it work? Mmmm?

If it's windows 10 that doesn't drive an older device you hook
up an old win7 or win XP laptop and make it work.

Windoze? Really? Oh my goodness, Bobby.

[Bobby]

Not if they want it to work with other devices they don't, Bobby.

A lot of devices are "plug and pray" these days.

And when it doesn't play, what do you do with it, Bobby? Throw it away or do you at least endeavour to make it work? Mmmm?

If it's windows 10 that doesn't drive an older device you hook
up an old win7 or win XP laptop and make it work.

Windoze? Really? Oh my goodness, Bobby.

Yes - Windows like 90% of all other computer users.

I suppose you're a Linux man?

[brian ross]

A lot of devices are "plug and pray" these days.

And when it doesn't play, what do you do with it, Bobby? Throw it away or do you at least endeavour to make it work? Mmmm?

If it's windows 10 that doesn't drive an older device you hook
up an old win7 or win XP laptop and make it work.

Windoze? Really? Oh my goodness, Bobby.

Yes - Windows like 90% of all other computer users.

I suppose you're a Linux man?

Actually, it is roughly 80% of home computer users who use Windoze. They have swallowed the Micro$oft line that it is easier to use than Linux.

Personally, I prefer Unix, most particularly Solaris. Linux is an interesting alternative and I do use it at home.

Windoze? A toy for children IMHO. It has been insecure since day one of it's existence. It was copied originally from CP/M-86 - a system which was never intended to be networked but which since has become networked. It lacks proper ACLs.

Real computers use Unix.

[brian ross]

Yep, boat anchor man. I guarantee that Monk and Aussie also use Linux. They think it is "safer" than Microsoft.

No computer is "safe", Neferti. Linux is more secure than Windoze because Linux has proper ACLs and security, whereas Windoze doesn't.

[Bobby]

And when it doesn't play, what do you do with it, Bobby? Throw it away or do you at least endeavour to make it work? Mmmm?

If it's windows 10 that doesn't drive an older device you hook
up an old win7 or win XP laptop and make it work.

Windoze? Really? Oh my goodness, Bobby.

Yes - Windows like 90% of all other computer users.

I suppose you're a Linux man?

Actually, it is roughly 80% of home computer users who use Windoze. They have swallowed the Micro$oft line that it is easier to use than Linux.

Personally, I prefer Unix, most particularly Solaris. Linux is an interesting alternative and I do use it at home.

Windoze? A toy for children IMHO. It has been insecure since day one of it's existence. It was copied originally from CP/M-86 - a system which was never intended to be networked but which since has become networked. It lacks proper ACLs.

Real computers use Unix.

dear Brian,
When you're at work you have to use whatever garbage software they serve up to you.
For me it's always been Windows.
Win10 is proving very buggy.
We now have to buy all new: printers, scanners, plotters etc as even when the manufacturers say they
have new Win10 compliant drivers they are talking bullshit as they don't work.
You spend all day downloading bad drivers and realise then that they don't work on Win 10.
Not only that - even if you use the drivers on a Win7 computer that used to work
it still doesn't work if you're server is related to Win10.
Somehow the server blocks the drivers and one bad driver crashes every other driver on the server.

When you phone up the sales arse holes they say - ohh sorry -
we'll sell you new hardware.
It's a scam to make money.
I'm convinced that Microsoft has been bribed by the printer manufacturers to make
sure that old printers will not work.
Also - lots of other software won't work anymore - it won't install properly.

[brian ross]

Sounds like a personal problem, Bobby. I rarely have to download new drivers when I use Unix or Linux. I've noticed that my kid's PCs are always downloading updates. Makes me wonder what Micro$oft is up to.

[Bobby]

Sounds like a personal problem, Bobby. I rarely have to download new drivers when I use Unix or Linux. I've noticed that my kid's PCs are always downloading updates. Makes me wonder what Micro$oft is up to.

With Office 2016 having 5 or more major programs it had
over 3 gigabytes of updates!
It was basically re-written from scratch as it's so buggy.
It still has bugs.
Bill gates should be crying for what happened to his company.

[Bobby]

I tried Red Hat a long time ago on a mate's computer and he had both Windows and Linux. Didn't like it. I don't like Microsoft either. The ONLY people I know who use Linux are OLD FARTS. Really OLD FARTS.

Linux is the basis of many Govt. and professional systems.
That way the people who use it have some sort of control over the source code.
With Microsoft you have no idea of what they are actually doing.