Not Just the Greatest Band in the Land
To those who pay attention to such things, programming, and more specifically the languages used, have far outstripped their predecessors.
Modern coding allows for a dizzying array of control concepts whose acuity and flexibility are only limited in function to the imagination of the programmer. From controlling entire communities infrastructure to complete virtual worlds — the command lines are the new DNA.
Remarkably, the single greatest achievement in human history was completed during the early adolescence of modern coding.
Apollo 11 used computers, which had processing power that was only a modicum of a present day children’s toy, to send men (238,855 miles) to the moon and back. A feat akin to solving Fermat’s last theorem with an abacus.
The run sequences were sparse as a necessity, code need not be trim but Spartan in form. The lessons of one generation’s experience is to first and foremost KISS it. This is not just the self proclaimed “greatest band in the land,” it is also the top commandment of installation: Keep It Simple.
Limitations, especially when self imposed, can inspire more creative solutions all while keeping the client experience high, and reducing costs. Taking a good look at what was necessary in the past can lead to more efficient systems today.
What the Ancients Knew
The phenomenon of losing great gains in technology for decades or hundreds of years is not new, in fact it goes back to the beginnings of civilization. Technologies of the past are lost and need to be rediscovered because the focal motivation of the culture, or an industry, becomes distracted by change.
Related: Learn From My ‘Out of Industry’ Experience
The ancient Minoan cultures of the second millennium BC had developed running water flush toilet systems. Centuries later the Roman Empire also spread a version along with their water distribution aqueducts, only to be lost as the boundaries retreated. A vital technology lost several times, over multiple cultures, condemning humanity to filth and sewage born diseases until the 19th century.
In the realm of “hardcore” technology, nothing exemplifies an ancient development which could have changed the world more than Antikythera Mechanism. The device, discovered in 1900’s from a shipwreck of about 100 BC, is considered by many to be the first analog computer. It is believed to be an astronomical navigation tool, pre-dating the Babbage Difference engine by at least a millennia. Just imagine what great leaps we could have taken if this technology had been developed and spread!
Progress as Paradox
While it is true that development and paradigm change are essential and a direct result of our human impulse — it should not come with disregard for the past.
What “discarded” technology do you think we can advance from looking at again?
