On Thu, 12 Nov 2015, Steve Litt wrote:

> Additionally, "greybeards" and "neckbeards" pretty much literally mean
> "old people", and give credence to the belief that old people can't
> code, can't tech, should be put out to pasture. It's this very belief
> that motivates organizations to refuse to hire those over 50,
> regardless of past or current accomplishments, going so far as to pay
> a premium to offshore rent-a-programmers rather than snagging one of
> the glut of skilled over 50 technologists.

this is a very important observation. It's been years now that in ICT we
are bombarded of 'startup' propaganda starting already in schools,
telling young people with passion and talent to learn how to make a
business plan even before learning to code, then do something no matter
what even if it does not work perfectly and ignores the most basic
responsibilities for integrity for users data and privacy.

Call it a startup, work frantically by living in pseudo-student
appartment with your own colleagues, forget you have a life and try to
squeeze money out everyone you meet, venture capitals, public funds and
at last the users themselves when they are many - or sell them out to a
megacorporation. Oh I'm so so happy I did not cultivate my passion for
programming in such a context!

This story is repeating now over and over with televised evangelists in
every corner of the world and in every language telling how young people
will innovate our future by doing a dogs breakfast of what exists.

Is it really related to what you say? I think yes, because while the
labor conditions for 50+ professionals are decaying, huge capitals are
invested to fund this circus someone calls startup economy.

Because of the above I'm personally very skeptical of many products that
appeared the last 10 years or more of development in ICT and think that
if things need to be done well we must listen to people who have used
and perfectioned them already over many years, learning to do things
well in ways that today are ignored because they "just work".

ciao