"If the automobile industry had advanced at the same rate as the computer industry, we'd all be driving cars that get 450 mpg, go 150 mph, never need maintenance and cost around $350."
I started my computer career in 1982 working with the International 99/4 Home Computer Users Group providing tech support for people using the Texas Instruments 99/4 and 99/4A. A year later, the IBM PC came out. I remember writing a review of Microsoft Multiplan, the predecessor of Excel for the Users Group magazine.
God. That was eons ago. In my three or so years at that job, I spent hours and hours telling people to turn the volume down on their cassette player that was used to load software programs into the computer. It was actually a cool job. I wrote for the magazine, reviewed software submissions to the the library, learned phone support skills that I still use today and made more money at the time than I ever thought I would be worth.
From there, it was the Shack. Actually the Business Products Division of Tandy Corp, where I did phone support for the Model II et al, with eight inch floppy drives for data and program storage and a real accounting package. I learned all about TRS-DOS, General Ledger accounting, and later MS-DOS and SCO Xenix.
With great nostalgia, I remember the days when a computer gave you a $ or # prompt, you told it what to do, and it did it without question. Not like now when Apple won't even hear of you wanting to watch a video with Flash player or Windows bitching at you whenever you tell it to do something.
All of this came back as I read my second book of the weekend, Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick. I haven't completely finished the book yet, but I read enough about the DEC PDP-11 and VMS operating systems, Xenix, Novell Netware and other platforms now long gone to realize how damn old I am, that's for sure.
I really enjoyed the review of computer systems and platforms discussed in the book, but I'm not enjoying the other theme of the book, which is something called 'social engineering'. I may never finish this book, but I'm gonna give it another day or so. I'd like to see what happens to Kevin and how he transforms from a computer hacker criminal to a security consultant.
So far, unless you're like me and can identify with some of the older computer and telecommunications architecture, there's no reason to read the book. Just watch the movie Catch Me If You Can. It's actually more interesting and it's basically the same story.
One way or another, I'll address this social engineering concept soon. Maybe between now and then I'll think of some redeeming quality of it.