Re: Ding Wen's interview

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

limtc wrote:
> Thanks! Willie, don't need to do that. My main issue is I don't even
> know what is a ATX power supply (I don't see any picture in Little
> John's image), shouldn't it be a big box or something? And can I
> replace a currently 110v system by a 220v power supply via
> LittlePower? I might be wasting your money!

Thye Chean, I'd really like to encourage you to take the plunge
and open up the IIgs case.  It's good for programmers to have some
understanding of the real hardware, if for no other reason than to
"ground" your understanding of what it means to compute.

I've worked with many young programmers who had *no idea* what
code was emitted by a compiler in response to a statement that
they wrote, nor any idea how many cache misses it caused.  They
were therefore incapable of evaluating the relationship between
the code they wrote and the subsequent behavior of the machine
it ran on--particularly its performance.

When my daughters were growing up, while teaching them to drive,
I opened the hood and give them a guided tour of the major engine
components, brake system, cooling system, etc.  (I later asked them
about it, to make sure they remembered it.)

I didn't expect them to become mechanics, but I wanted them to have
some objective reference point for any strange noises, fumes, or
leaks they might notice in the future.  Women should not be easy
marks for unscrupulous mechanics.

I also didn't want them to think their car was junk because it blew
a fuse and wouldn't start.  ;-)

-michael

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