Praxis: Difference between revisions

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As an aside to &sect; d, <i>Mainframe Heritage</i> of the 2 page brochure, the Burroughs systems programmer job at Daytona Beach Community College '83-85, was a transition in two senses, it was the first time I was actually carrying a real development responsibility and the first time I would have control of the computer other than the personal ones I had at that time which were considered toys still. The shift after that to work on PC based systems, first with Methods/Digitalk Smalltalk at EER then contracts at IBM Boca, mostly OS/2 related, completed that transition to a mature doer. It's kind of amazing to think the first couple of years in those days you might not actually have a coding responsibility which is unthinkable now but in the last of the mainframe days not so much. DBCC ran on a 6800 but a few months in the Burroughs FE found a 6700 on a state of FL scrap heap and it was brought in and used by the ~10 person programming staff as a development machine which I controlled from my office. So that was how I became hands on. I did modify COLLEGEMCS, put PRINTERMCS into service for the app staff, and made a trivial MCS to operate a very troublesome OCR test forms reader. In a  MCP shop of those days the systems programmer would compile the OS and components on upgrades and manage system level deployments.
As an aside to &sect; d, <i>Mainframe Heritage</i> of the 2 page brochure, the Burroughs systems programmer job at Daytona Beach Community College '83-85, was a transition in two senses, it was the first time I was actually carrying a real development responsibility and the first time I would have control of the computer other than the personal ones I had at that time which were considered toys still. The shift after that to work on PC based systems, first with Methods/Digitalk Smalltalk at EER then contracts at IBM Boca, mostly OS/2 related, completed that transition to a mature doer. It's kind of amazing to think the first couple of years in those days you might not actually have a coding responsibility which is unthinkable now but in the last of the mainframe days not so much. DBCC ran on a 6800 but a few months in the Burroughs FE found a 6700 on a state of FL scrap heap and it was brought in and used by the ~10 person programming staff as a development machine which I controlled from my office. So that was how I became hands on. I did modify COLLEGEMCS, put PRINTERMCS into service for the app staff, and made a trivial MCS to operate a very troublesome OCR test forms reader. In a  MCP shop of those days the systems programmer would compile the OS and components on upgrades and manage system level deployments.


Before retirement/freedom, there were a few work experiences that could, in a stretch, like much of the current hype cycle, and of yore of compilers, be considered AI. First some systems of the Air Force Satellite Control System network such as dynamic programming and other techniques used for attitude manoeuver, stationkeeping and other ops planning would arguably be considered such, although I had no hands on, I did have source access. The "metadatabase" of the EER job where I was introduced to Smalltalk had ambitions in that area. The central hourly labor scheduling algorithm of CSIs EMPS product which I improved qualifies. Finally, the Givaudan client server engine, now on my github, probably the most consequential work in my non-free work life, by virtue of its adaptive handling of SQL. Could also start recounting compiler related things but not doin that, because pretty much none of this fits either my current or past notion of fulfillment on this [[AI|<span style="color:lime;">term of art</span>]].
Before retirement/freedom, there were a few work experiences that could, in a stretch, like much of the current hype cycle, and of yore of compilers, be considered AI. First some systems of the Air Force Satellite Control System network such as dynamic programming and other techniques used for attitude manoeuver, stationkeeping and other ops planning would arguably be considered such, although I had no hands on, I did have source access. The "metadatabase" of the EER job where I was introduced to Smalltalk had ambitions in that area. The central hourly labor scheduling algorithm of CSIs EMPS product which I improved qualifies. Finally, the Givaudan client server engine, now on my github, probably the most consequential work in my non-free work life, by virtue of its adaptive handling of SQL. Could also start recounting compiler related things but not doin that, because pretty much none of this fits either past notion of this [[AI|<span style="color:lime;">term of art</span>]] or my <a href=https://devops1.sameboat.network/About%20DCP>current fulfillment</a> of it.


1974 is the actual start because that's when I took training at the schools Control Data was running and actually did first programming, but I went back for a 4 year degree majoring in Math and CS and only had Operator jobs before 1980. I did have a DP course at a community college before CDC in '73 which pushes it back to my teens. The Control Data Institute I went to btw, was in the building shown on the Bob Newhart Show at that time on Michigan Avenue as being where he had his office.
1974 is the actual start because that's when I took training at the schools Control Data was running and actually did first programming, but I went back for a 4 year degree majoring in Math and CS and only had Operator jobs before 1980. I did have a DP course at a community college before CDC in '73 which pushes it back to my teens. The Control Data Institute I went to btw, was in the building shown on the Bob Newhart Show at that time on Michigan Avenue as being where he had his office.

Revision as of 18:12, 7 January 2024