Rasperry Pi == Bad idea

[mrunderhill]

I would like to state my concern over this Raspberry Pi idea.

The issue is currently I am a software developer and am currently enjoying being employed, there have been times when I haven't been employed and had to spend a few weeks looking for employment.

The idea of getting more people, more than likely better at programming than me, in the job market scares the bejesus out of me.  I have at least another 25 years of employment to look forward to, my house isn't going up in value, my fixed rate mortgage isn't saving me any money, don't even mention my pension scheme.  I'll have to work even longer to afford my retirement.

I can see a future (in 15 years from now) where all these 9 year olds are in the job market, and me getting old and getting smelly, with me COBOL skills, having no chance of being employed when pitted against 25 year olds with already with 15 years of experience.

The only saving grace I could possible see is that these kids will be better skilled, higher paid therefore paying more taxes so the state pention fund should be healthier.  This would only work if all these jobs were in the UK (where I am), so I propose that all Raspberry Pi's sold come with a condition, that if sold outside of the UK the owner and the owners children should pay 5% of their earnings to the UK state pension fund.  I don't think this is a viable solution.

So I'm hoping all Raspberry Pi's fry as soon as everyone plugs them in.  And funding for the charity drys up quickly and everyone forgets about the whole silly idea.  And goes back to teaching Microsoft Word and Excel in schools.

I think I'll  start a Stop Raspberry Pi (StRaPi) campaign.

I do hope this isn't a duplicate post, I did do a search but the ZX81 I started out on didn't have such fancy features so I may not be quite as skilled as people who grew up with the Amiga.

[RaTTuS]

NSIS but as you have not put this in OT ...

I've been in the games industry since 1986 , and the more the merrier ;-p

[Gert van Loo]

Raspberry _Pi !== Bad_idea

(I never have seen a Verilog engineer without work.)

[Alchemy]

Raspberry Pi !=Bad Idea

Computers keep changing things anyway. The most exciting is your ideas on computers increasingly can be made in the real world. So every human activity will eventually need a programmer to make it happen.

[jamesh]

I can only assume that the OP is being sarcastic.

If he isn't, and is worried about better people than him forcing him out of a job, well, here at Broadcom we are desperate for good engineers. Having to employ a lot of foreign nationals because of lack of decent UK applicants. Getting better UK people is part of the point of the project, if it put someone else out of a job, well, improve your skills, or change your job. Become a banker or something. They seem particularly crap at their jobs and still get paid loads of cash!

[Jongoleur]

I've had a humour bypass today, so I'm going to assume this was meant to be a funny… 

Wrong place mate!

Should have been in Off Topic.  Bear with me, I'm going to try moving it………….

Well, there you go!  Should be ok once the dust settles down!

Edit:  Tea, Mr Shifter?

[mrunderhill]

JamesH said:


I can only assume that the OP is being sarcastic.


More comical than sarcastic.  If it shouldn't be here and should be moved to OT - I apologise.

I'm actually very excited about the Raspberry Pi, and am hoping to get my son interested in programming / hardware rather than moshi monsters.

[meltwater]

[edited this out - not required]

Perhaps consider the RPi as a low cost way for you to pick up new skills and retrain for jobs which are there instead of waiting for ones which appear (or create a business on RPi controlled widgets).

[This is a general response, and I do not mean it as a personal dig as I know nothing about your circumstances, I can only assume your post is slightly tongue in cheek]

It is a valid point though, why should engineers help young minds learn our trade?

Perhaps when you are on your last legs (after having the previous few set replaced…) and you look over to the machine that is keeping you alive, or into the sky at the rocket which takes your grandchildren from the moon base to visit you…you can be glad that a whole new generation of engineers were created and your last years of life were so much the richer for it.

Alternatively, you will look around at the chaos around you, seeing people prying twice daily to the symbol of an apple with a bit missing and sigh as they worship the mythical alien builders which transmit youtube videos onto the mystical tablet device.

[grumpyoldgit]

I thought Frodo was being quite funny. I think a few people round here have had a sense of humour bypass.

[Jongoleur]

Grumpyoldgit said:


I thought Frodo was being quite funny. I think a few people round here have had a sense of humour bypass.



I was just waiting to see if he vanished whilst dancing on the table...... 

(Thinking about it, I made him do just that!)

[Alchemy]

I read the BBC website comments thread when the government suggested a new direction in teaching computers was needed. A lot of people are very negative. Including many in education. So I took the comments as genuine.

[JonB]

"The cow jumped over the moon, indeed! How ridiculous of you, Frodo!"

[mrunderhill]

Jongoleur said:


Grumpyoldgit said:


I thought Frodo was being quite funny. I think a few people round here have had a sense of humour bypass.


I was just waiting to see if he vanished whilst dancing on the table...... 

(Thinking about it, I made him do just that!)


I didn't disappear, its just that my finger slipped into a ring by accident.

I must remember to use smilies. 

[bredman]

You should take advantage of the situation.

Round up a load of pre-teen coders, outsource them, make huge profits from their work, and retire before they become a challenge.

[grumpyoldgit]

mrunderhill said:


I didn't disappear, its just that my finger slipped into a ring by accident.


And that, milud, concludes the evidence for the defence.

[rurwin]

bredman said:


You should take advantage of the situation.

Round up a load of pre-teen coders, outsource them, make huge profits from their work, and retire before they become a challenge.


That sounds like my first job. It was started by ex-teachers and their ex-pupils and survived by employing gap-year students who didn't know any better and working them until they dropped. 9am to 9pm was normal practise, and if you complained they came down on you like a ton of bricks.

Anyone remember Mr T's Money Box? That was one of mine.

[Jongoleur]

rurwin said:


Anyone remember Mr T's Money Box? That was one of mine.



This?

OMG......

You shouldn't admit to anything.....  

[rurwin]

That looks like it, but I can disavow knowledge since I didn't write the Spectrum port.

Edit: hehe, this just made me feel good: "I used to love these when I was little"

[Prometheus]

Aww, and here I was expecting a totally different Mr. T...

[TheEponymousBob]

raspberryPi.equals(badIdea) shurely?

[Jongoleur]

200 IF RP$ <> "GOOD IDEA" THEN GOTO 5000

210 PRINT RP$

…

…

…

5000 PRINT "BAD IDEA"

5010 END


Basically says it all.......

[obarthelemy]

I'd go further: as an expensively educated professional, I think it's madness to keep educating youngsters to my level. First, because they'll threaten my position. Second, because Society has a huge investment in me, myself, I... which it makes no sense to prematurely obsolete (I still got  a few good years in me), and third, because youngsters these days are noticeably dumber, fouler-mouthed, and - smelling (latest study here: http://answers.google.com/answ.....18453.html). And they should get off my lawn.

[grumpyoldgit]

Every generation has exactly the same view of the younger generation. We all become our parents. I'm looking for a Joseph quote about that layabout Jesus, who is in his thirties, has no job and spends all his time chilling out with his mates, who also gave up their jobs to form some sort of hippy commune.

[Jongoleur]

Grumpyoldgit said:


Every generation has exactly the same view of the younger generation. We all become our parents. I'm looking for a Joseph quote about that layabout Jesus, who is in his thirties, has no job and spends all his time chilling out with his mates, who also gave up their jobs to form some sort of hippy commune.



That sort of thing never ends well.

First its arguments with authority,

next its the courts,

then well, God knows......

[psergiu]

JamesH said:


... well, here at Broadcom we are desperate for good engineers. Having to employ a lot of foreign nationals because of lack of decent UK applicants. ...


Well ... that's not always a bad thing ... especially from the p.o.v. of the foreign nationals