Re: It's going to happen : Banking and Cobol
Except a number of aged persons with COBOL experience are highly paid to keep legacy banking applications working.
283 publicly visible posts • joined 16 Sep 2016
Having had a HP printer from family , I found it was not a good working product (regularly failed, and ink cost high). A friend suggested the small commercial office printer from OKI. I bought one, it lasted 14 years. I am now on my second OKI printer (Black & White printer only) after 3 decades of home printing. By not using colour and restricting to Black ink printing I find I get machines that work and have a long life cycle.,
As Microsoft has damaged its relationship with customers by Windows 11. I have one Windows 11 machine used as contractor to the organisation owning it, so have some 'experience on Win11 system. It was enough for me to fully move all house stuff to Linux to avoid Win11 'upgrade'. Now work from home on my machines.
Only family or privately owned and deep funded businesses [*1] can really take a long term view, as the owners are not always 'this year's dividend amount' driven. They can look to the long view for results, provided they can cover their annual expenses.
[*1] Chinese government companies or government supervised companies can always take the long view provided it meets party requirements.
As one who has visited Russia (since USSR days) and Finland, I am aware of the tensions inherent in folk of Finish residence or descent to Russia. Memories are long and family talk of history enfolds the young and moulds attitudes. We should not be surprised at Finish attitude to Russia; however we can try to help both sides obtain toleration.
A"good" engineer will always review his/her predecessors results. Once during a practical exam, we were asked if a bridge we examined could take a truck and its load safely. On examination and calculation of its support beams we thought it could not support its own weight!
We were then enlightened, that what we thought were cast iron beams were in fact wrought iron beams, but the maker's mark on beams was 'copying' the method of marking on a cast beam, as was the 'fashion' of the time. The examiner then asked a centurion military tank driver to drive across the bridge. The tank [weighing well above the weight limit for cast iron support beams] did so! Example taught - do not always believe marks put by makers on items. Check it.
There is a use for calculators , including spreadsheets with 12 significant figures, and there is a use for slide rules with 3 significant figures. However in slide rule use you must know the approximate answer to get the decimal place in the right place, so mental arithmetic is also involved.
At one time I used to make a lot of 'big bangs', think demolishing unexploded ordnance or what seems like them. To do so we always travelled as two convoys, one with detonators, another with explosive. To keep detonators at safe temperature and humidity, as they were a wee package about wrapped up 3 cigarettes size, I carried them either in my oxters (damp, humid, constant ltemperature) or in my groin (likewise) where risk of collision with other things was unlikely. Big 'Explosive' label on Land Rover. Got stopped by police who asked us to demount from vehicle, I replied only if you want all of us to be blown up, I sit still until engine is switched off for a few minutes. Policeman got angry. I removed a detonator, gave it to him and said, "if you shake that you lose your hand!", then rapidly moved away as did my driver. We lay flat on ground. Policeman was shocked. Stood still, another policeman came up (he was we think ex -army). Told him in no uncertain terms to not even breath, while he got others to gradually remove detonators from policeman. Long talks, all our paperwork was in order, our vehicle had appropriate warning signs, we departed leaving one policeman advising another in some basic explosive handling techniques.
Once when operating and installing "Roots Type Air Compressors" a safety outlet bypass pipe was blocked by Seagull Guano as they (the gulls) had 'nested' in the warm outlet pipe, and the nests built up to cause a big restriction to air flow.
When called to fix motors switching off, all fuses blown, shortly after every start-up. I removed all pipe connections to blower and its motor and ran it for many hours continuously without any fault or failure thus proving not a problem with motor or compressor. Re-attached normal air flow pipes, started up, and blew fuse on main district sub station (about 6 inch long 1 inch diameter fuse), cutting supply to many households. We then inspected pipe line, and found no faults but organisation would not let us on roof where bypass outlet was situated. We 'demanded' to inspect the pipe outlet on roof. "No, not a problem, it is open to atmosphere' was the answer. After much hassle we got on roof (many 'indemnities signed etc.) Inspected pipe outlet and found about three quarters of bypass outlet pipe blocked by seagull guano. They had found a very warm place to build their nests. Seagull guano when hard is very difficult to break up. We replaced the pipe and put a wire frame over the end.
Due to reports on HP, and experience of buying a second hand HP printer costs to run, many years ago when I started to use printers at home, I enquired for small home business printers and I was recommended OKI printers by a PC Magazine and friends. Now 40 years later I am on my second OKI printer (Black and White LED type called 'laser'). Good value, and if wanted I can get 'replacement toners' from 3rd party supplies that work.
However my printing is down from 400 pages or so per week, as I have now retired so I think my current older machine will see me out, as i buy the large volume toner (10,000 pages rated
Did i say I use OKI and they are OK.
Assuming he had British war medals after the war, I assume he put both the German and British war medals on when he was on 'display parade' duty.
I once read an article about a Finn who has 'carried a rifle' for the Russian Czar, Finland and Germany which was possible because of the dates he served.
I understand the pain. I have Mac Donald, but use all combinations to suit culture I am in . Thus M'D... in Africa , they are used to names like M'Bana.
In Germany it gets simple like von F so works as mac Donald. In UK I end up as Donald, Which reflects my school as about 90% of pupils began with Mac or Mc or M' or Mhic; so the school always indexed under second part of name. OK but explain how name is on certificates when needed in England is a pain.
I "discovered the hard way" that a plasticsink drain pipe made a vertical to horizontal right angle in our Kitchen ceiling space.". Elbow leaked. Plasterboard ceiling now has a 40cm by 30cm irregular artistic hole with vibrant coloured edges where water reacted with the paper glue of alongside paper dressing to roof.