Groups > alt.folklore.computers > #162565

Re: Which Books Can You Recommend For Learning Computer Programming?

From	Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere>
Newsgroups	alt.folklore.computers
Subject	Re: Which Books Can You Recommend For Learning Computer Programming?
Date	2016-04-16 16:09 -0300
Organization	Bridgewater Institute for Advanced Study - Blacksmith Shop
Message-ID	<87inzh1ic0.fsf@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> (permalink)
References	(2 earlier) <proto-F451EE.11003415042016@news.panix.com> <alpine.LNX.2.02.1604151414130.17695@darkstar.example.org> <p378uc-a5h.ln1@sambook.reistad.name> <slrnnh42bl.18p.mausg@Smaus.org> <MPG.317be46ddda17a2e98a0e4@news.eternal-september.org>

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"J. Clarke" <j.clarke.873638@gmail.com> writes:

> In article <slrnnh42bl.18p.mausg@Smaus.org>, mausg@mail.com says...
>
>> We lived in a magical time, everything could be hacked with. Now,
>> little can.
> 
> Kids today hack cars you know, in the "hacker" sense.  In the '50s
> you had to understand carburetors, now you have to understand
> ECUs--same ojbective, different technique.

Not just "technique" is different.  Until circa 1965, everything was
analogue.  You could figure out how it worked by taking it apart.  Now
you can't.  You need original documentation, sophisticated
instumentation, advanced knowledge of tech.

In the 60s, I worked at "BJ's Foreign Auto".  Bud had been in the US
Navy in WW II, worked in Britain for a few years afterward as a
mechanic, later opened his own business in Leftpondia. In a university
twon with crazy kids and eccentric professors, we saw all kinds of
weird European cars, many of which were never commercialy exported to
the US.  When we got a car with the engine in the wrong end, installed
(notionally) backwards (Panhard) or one with belts and pulleys instead
of a transmission (DKW, IIRC) or propellers and hull (Amphicar) or
worn parts that would take 6 months to get from Italy (Lancia) and
were giving it the doubtful eye, Bud would say, "A man made it.  A man
can fix it!"  And we would do just that.

No longer.  A computer designed it -- often "in its own image, after
its likeness" -- and robot made it.  Such are at least still analogue
physical objects but often designed intentionally not to be
repairable.

Hacking anything with a proprietary digital black box is not even
slightly the same kind of thing as hacking real hardware.  Hacking a
desktop computer, even with extensive documentation and kernel source
available, is not even slightly the same kind of thing -- as I am
currently seeing, trying to solve a problem with excessive memory
usage when writing to a newly installed HD.  Solutions offered on
Usenet are mostly, "Upgrade to a newer kernel."  Nobody says that
about my 1936 Pierce Arrow.

Hacking analog hardware is open to kids with a certain cognitive style
that tilts to spatial relations and attention to visual detail.
Hacking a car's coupter module(s) isn't open to anyone who hasn't read
a vast amount of technical literature.

1947:  Bud and Lefty Griswold burned out a rod bearing on their old
heap in trials for a stock car race.  No parts, no time.  Lefty
crawled under the car, dropped the pan, replaced the bearing with
a piece of leather cut from his belt, bolted it all up.  They won the
race.  Let's hear it for analogue.

-- 
Mike Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada

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