New Horizons in Computer Learning Centers in NC

In my introductary article on this blog, I mentioned using my new notebook computer. This new computer, which has many bells and whistles and was a real bargain, is vastly more powerful and compact than the first computers I learned on and began using. I began taking computer programming classes in 1968, a year before the first lunar landing. My current notebook computer is light years ahead in advancement and power compared to those computers that controlled the lunar trip and landing.

I began my IT career in October of 1970 with a large accounting firm in their management advisory services department. Our processing was done by an IBM 360 computer that had a total of 32K of memory. That's right, not megabytes, not gigabytes, but 32,000 bytes of memory. Our IT department did all the computer processing for our accounting firm as well as a host of clients. In those days, only a small percentage of companies owned computer systems.

When I began learning about computer programming, software, hardware, systems analysis, project management, etc, there were very few colleges and institutions that offered computer education, especially in business systems. The "Harvard" or "MIT" of business computing education in the early seventies was IBM and in particular the IBM Education Center in Washington, DC. I was fortunate to attend the IBM Systems Analysis class there circa 1972. Since then, the explosion of computer hardware and software that came as a result of the personal computer and personal high tech devices has resulted in very few people that can be referred to as computer experts. This has made it increasingly difficult to stay current with even niches of computer related categories. The competitive nature of the business and the need to trim budgets has added another level of need to stay current on technology.

The younger person that requested these articles brought up several topics that that are pertinent now but have been important issues for years.Virtual machines and project management. Project management seemed like a self evident reality to him but I assured him that it is still an important issue because it relates to the human equation of implementing projects. I was very fortunate to get into the computer field when I did but I also was fortunate to get exposed to so many interesting people and projects. Here are a few of the more interesting ones:

After systems analysis and design training at the IBM Education Center,I was given a local Chamber of Commerce as my account in my early twenties.

I learned and used the following programming languages: Assembler, Cobol,RPG (many forms), PL/1 , APL, Fortran, Basic (many forms).

I taught computer science for 5 years.

I attended a seminar by Frederick Brooks, a project manager for the IBMSystem/360 and OS/360. Mr. Brooks presented a seminar based on his experiences and subsequent book, "The Mythical Man-Month", essays on software engineering and project management.

I had a lengthy discussion with Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, a world famous computer pioneer, often given credit for making popular the term "computer bug."

I owned a small software consulting firm for almost half of my career that allowed me to represent small and large companies. I represented a number of those companies on business trips to New York City.

I attended quite a few international computer conferences and got"persuaded" at the last minute to speak after a no show.

I was coproject leader on a large Y2K project that was coupled with another project for one of the largest companies in NC. The project utilized a large in house staff, programmers from India and was completed successfully ahead of schedule.

So, what was the point of me telling you all of this aside from giving me a chance to stroll down memory lane and rest on my laurels. It gives me a unique perspective as a technical person and business man. In recent years I have become more of a computer user and less technical. However, from time to time I rely on my technical knowledge to get out of a fix.

One thing is crystal clear to me and many others. That there is so much software, so many devices and the technology changes so rapidly that it is hard to keep up. Which bring me back to my conversation with the young man who is becoming more computer technical. We recently conversed about, you guessed it, virtual machines and project management. This immediately jogged my memory. "There is nothing new under the Sun."Many years ago we used a technique on the IBM/360 computer to allow larger programs to run, thus using virtual memory. Project Management. What can I say. When dealing with humans, project management will always be a challenge. I was immediately reminded of "The Mythical Man-Month" by Frederick Brooks.

Virtual machines often are referred to as using software to run multiple servers on one piece of hardware. This can save money. I assured the young man that project management is not the self evident piece of cake that it appears to be. He stated that New Horizons Computer Learning Centers has classes on both subjects. He is currently learning some other technical skills there. Having not been active in the computer field for several years, I was not that familiar with New Horizons. I did emphasize the fact that in this economic downturn, both saving money through the use of virtual machines and proper project management, could be a very desirable set of skill sets.

IT, Information Technology, once considered by some to be an unnecessary expense, is now becoming the backbone of efforts to make companies more efficient as well as competitive. I am told there will be more articles to come on IT in NC and from other people's perspectives.

Old IT Guy