h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

xyroth, I wasn't predicting the end of programming, but a reduction of the areas where what I would call a coder was still needed. Look around at the tools available these days, report writers, graphical display generators, stats packs and the like. These used to have to be coded by someone, now you just need to point and click, some knowledge required sometimes to maybe tweak them but not much. Coders as such will still, I am sure, be needed in many areas, but not as many as now. The work I do, databases, there is no reason that it can't be done through some form of generator, and some do exist. They just don't work too well at the moment and it is easier to do it yourself from scratch. Another side to this is the flexibility of systems. New systems coming out can do more than just one task, so you don't need to write your own interface system, you can buy an off the shelf system which will interface all your systems itself. These eai systems are definitely growing. And whilst someone needs to write them, you only need a couple of companies to write them, and hundreds of other companies no longer need someone to write it in house.
It's bound to copntinue since the writing, testing and implementation of code is a massive overhead to projects.

but we will see. The other side, of course, is that increasingly the techy programing jobs will move from the major western countries, like the UK and USA, and off shore to places like india and china due to the massivly reduced cost plus highly skilled workforce. The company I work at now is in the process of this, although they ain;t telling us!

>Wrap engine mechanic<

Automated wrapping machines, that'll make it easier at Christmas...

Liam.

"We failed to predict that the 20th century would end.

This is "fairly good"???"

sorry hoovooloo, but we were predicting it since about 1970. what we failed to do was manage it properly. there were some pc's being shipped as late as 1998 which were not y2k compatable.

this is part of what i mean by being lousy at the social aspect. we tend to not predict what people won't put up with, or we predict that people won't put up with stuff that is stupid, but that they will tollerate.

Or we'll predict the hell out of something but they refuse to pay for it despite repeated pleas from 20 years in advance until they finally realise what they're refusing to pay for is going to happen in 3 months time

Not linked to technology, but I think in the future we will see door-to-door impressionists. That's what I hope anyway.

Ne'er mind the fuiture, this is the 21st Century *now*. And I want my personal jetpack! We were promised them, I reckon they'vce got them stored ina government warehouse somewhere, don't trust the general public. Fiends!

Nano Tube Conductor?



SC

Grey goo clearer upper.
Conservationist for non genetically modified plants.
Geriatric nurse.
Lawyer. You can never have too many lawyers.

Sprout

Posting 26...and where are our silver suits?