Hello David,

>>> I started programming in 1978 and have a slightly different take on it.

>> Unspotted mistake - for 1978 read 1968 - that was when I joined ICL and
>> learned PLAN assembler.

> I was going to pull you up on that as Cobol was well established by 78,
> but figured from the rest of the post that wasn't right.

> In any case I was born in 1968, and started programming on the BBC Micro
> in the early 80s, so luckily I avoided Cobol then and ever since.

I saw the light for the first time in 1956 as sun of an inland skipper in NL,
and after the school for the hard of hearing I went to work at offices for
administration sinds 1978. Since 1979 I got knowledge of using computers for
administration tasks, at mainframes, and mini's, and since 1983 also at home.
I did many studies in ICT, i.e. programming Basic and communication etc.
In the private study for COBOL I did no pass the examination ;-(.
I think that was a kind of a "sign" to stop that route ;-).
Since 1984 I started using the better Acorn BBC computer and almost all its
followers intensively. You surely knew that, right?

Unluckily I got 4 times a hearing crisis, with the 3rd one a sudden deafness
in 1993 as the worst, 50 dBA loss in only one night ;-(
Reason: I worked too hard which too much stress as a computer system engineer,
as I was deaf at the left side and hard of hearing on the right side from
birth.
I phoned very intensively with all the computer users in the company I worked
for. When someone had a problem, I was there within 5 minutes.
And I did it all alone. As I could not phone anymore I had to stop working
in the ICT, and doing only administrative jobs like payroll controlling etc.
After the last (4th) hearing crisis in 1997 (heavy Tinnitus, HyperAcusis,
MisoPhony and Recruitment) I donot work any more professionally, but only
voluntear work for the hard of hearing (induction loop testing)
and about laws for inland skippers of the bigger recreational craft in NL.

When I left the firm, my work was done by 3 people now in 1999, and the users
were crying far more than in the period before when I helped them alone.
Reason: They wanted Windows in stead of DOS with simple menu's I made.
And you know what that means ;-(.
Ofcourse Windows was not needed for the functionallity, but it costed a lot
more in resources, money and workmanschip, and gave much problems too.
They did not see the Bill Gates methods, I saw from the beginning.
I still hate Windows, and far most using RISC OS and Linux.

The last weeks I am viewing many YouTube video's with the Pi 4B about UK
Narrow Boats, canals, rivers, locks etc. Very interesting.
And you know I still am a very active member of the Dutch Big Ben Club for
Acorn and RISC OS computers for 36 years.
Pity we have to calm down our meetings because of CoVid19 ;-(.

Greetings from Henri, to your wife too.
She knows me from the Britisch computer shows I visited several times.

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