dictionary

[Bob Martin]

in 86949 20081024 205720 "Hendrik van Rooyen" <mail at microcorp.co.za> wrote:
>Steven D'Aprano <ste...-this-cybersource.com.au> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:53:19 +0000, Peter Pearson wrote:
>>
>>> On 24 Oct 2008 13:17:45 GMT, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
>>>>
>>>> What are programmers coming to these days? When I was their age, we
>>>> were expected to *read* the error messages our compilers gave us, not
>>>> turn to the Interwebs for help as soon there was the tiniest problem.
>>>
>>> Yes, and what's more, the text of the error message was "IEH208".  After
>>> reading it several times, one looked it up in a big fat set of books,
>>> where one found the explanation:
>>>
>>>   IEH208: Your program contains an error. Correct the error and resubmit
>>>   your job.
>>>
>>> An excellent system for purging the world of the weak and timid.
>>
>>You had reference books? You were lucky! When I was lad, we couldn't
>>afford reference books. If we wanted to know what an error code meant, we
>>had to rummage through the bins outside of compiler vendors' offices
>>looking for discarded documentation.
>
>eee!  You were Lucky!
>
>You had Compilers!
>You had Compiler Vendors!
>
>When I was lad, we had nowt but raw hardware.
>We had to sit in cold room, ears deafened by
>whine of fan, clicking switches to load our
>octal in computer. We just had error light...
>
>- Hendrik

Computers?  you had computers?