[ale] Engineering Archaeology

[Ron]

Jeff Lightner via Ale wrote on 2026-01-10 14:50:

> In my later years when I would speak to people about “the old days” and 
> things such as RS232-C and/or Hayes modem commands I realized that while 
> it was likely true I’d forget much of the detail it didn’t mean younger 
> folks would never know more than I’d forgotten.   They would instead 
> have no need for what I’d forgotten (for the most part) and eventually 
> would learn things I’d never learn.

Insightful comment.

Of course, usual disclaimers of "not everyone, not always, not 
everything" apply:

The "kids today" are learning lots of great new things and pushing 
boundaries in new directions. They're exploring new ways to do stuff and 
aren't sold on "we've always done it this way, so we should continue to 
do it this way".


Too often I see that attitude by other, fellow tech old-timers.


If we applied such logic to when we were starting out - "slide rules 
work just fine, don't need no electricity, storage, keyboards, monitors, 
etc." - I'm sure most of us would've found it unconvincing.


Let them have their chance, some ideas will work, some won't, and it's 
their world now.


Anyway, appreciate the thought provoking post.