Reply to: Rate for very good java developer?

[hyperD]

I thought it was "programmed" to generate log tables and such.

Well, at your average supermarket you've got your Swiss Log, your Christmas Log, you're Bryant & May Instant Log, you're etc etc...

[hyperD]

Kids stuff, hows about a (Babbage) Difference engine ... made of ... Lego

Feck me - imagine building that as a five year old just to freak your parents out!

"Look mum, you can work out your shopping bill..."

[TheMonkey]

Kids stuff, hows about a (Babbage) Difference engine ... made of ... Lego

Quality. I just sold all of my Lego on ebay as well. Bugger!

[threaded]

Oh god - DTL logic. I remember that back when I was an Electronics Engineer. Check this out - a recent reincarnation of old-style computing:

http://people.freenet.de/dieter.02/mt15.htm

Kids stuff, hows about a (Babbage) Difference engine ... made of ... Lego

[TheMonkey]

The card punch electronics was 100% discrete RTL & DTL logic.

That's discrete as in separate resistors, transistors and diodes with no ics at all.

Oh god - DTL logic. I remember that back when I was an Electronics Engineer. Check this out - a recent reincarnation of old-style computing:

http://people.freenet.de/dieter.02/mt15.htm

[Statistician]

SAS - Going strong since 1976.

I read somewhere that SPSS is planning for world domination in stats.

[expat]

A "card punch" perhaps?

Excuse me, I'm off for a 0-1.

[threaded]

A "card punch" perhaps?

No, the card punch was a different machine. You typed and it punched it out the cards, you then collected your cards and put them in another machine that printed on the cards what was punched. You then checked this against your source code, putting a tick or cross against each line. If a line was wrong you waiting to get to the card punch again and typed out that line again and checked it and inserted in the, hopefully, correct place in the pile. Alternatively you could search through previous programs and find the same line used elsewhere, but after a while that wouldn't work because you did that before going to the card punch machine in the first place and only needed those extra new lines in this program.

[threaded]

At least these days you don't have to order the special golf ball for the printer before you can print the code.

They gave you machine time to print the source code, luxury.

We had to go to a special machine that wrote on each hollerith card what was punched there.

[Ivor1]

My place is currently recruiting for 2 Java developer contract rate is £500 - £550 aday, banking London.

[expat]

Well, good luck JoJo.

Unfortunately your skills are commonplace and will not attract a premium rate in the market. You are up against thousands of developers with many years of experience in Java technologies, and a vast (and ever increasing) number of .NET developers.

On the other hand, old farts like me who know ancient, obscure stuff like IBM s/3x0 assembler, REXX, CICS, VSAM and so on are commanding something of a permium lately. And as we die off, our rarity value increases, like a fine old burgundy.

Specialise! Identify and learn some promising niche product inside out, and work with that.

You are right in several respects: that some fairly routine current skills are not at a premium and that contracting in those will not be financially comparable to some of the contracting mentioned on here; that much old stuff is still around in large quantities and there are NO new people doing this, and fewer oldies still standing: and indeed that the same is not true of later technologies (sorry Francko) because there is a higher proportion of people to remaining systems.

However, I don't see the dinosaur experience reaching its peak value quite yet. I have 19 years of old COBOL, CICS, BAL, MVS, etc, experience; but so far as I can see it's still only worth half of the current contract rate for Siebel configuration (for example); so I'm still only thinking of legacy for later/elsewhere/part-time/semi-retired etc. There are a lot of critical legacy apps out there, and few who can work on them, but so far the bean-counters are keeping the rates down: someday, real-life needs will trump them. That's contracting.

[TheMonkey]

If you think Perl is arcane, take a look at the APL Programming Language

BM

Now that is arcane!

[bogeyman]

I work with Perl where possible. It's such a nice arcane niche.

If you think Perl is arcane, take a look at the APL Programming Language

BM

[TheMonkey]

I work with Perl where possible. It's such a nice arcane niche.

[Francko]

powerbuilder... wahoo!

Soon switching to the unemployment agency if you don't update your skills, am afraid.

Job server: 7 days search only 71 ads.