high vs low level programming

[Robert Ambrose]

Many moons ago I programmed bare metal, I loved it.  I couldn't imagine
ever doing anything else.  However, as noted elsewhere, employment
opportunities were quite limited.  I came across an opportunity to move to
UNIX and jumped on it.

I learned to program C by printing the assembly code (cc -S) and going
though it.  This was also the days before sdb, so setting breakpoints on
instructions was the only way to do interactive debugging.  (Used lots of
printfs also).

These days, I'm paying the bills doing web+db programming.  It pays the
bills, but I rather be doing something else.  I'm not putting down anyone
do web+db programming, it's just my personal feelings, I never thought of
my self as an applications programmer, I'm a bit twiddler at heart. Having
said that, now days I'm a OO fiend.

I do have a embedded system gig pending 8-) (yea). This is the direction I
want to go in.  (If the gigs will just cooperate...)

I have problem (feature?) that in order for me to use a particular
technology, I have to figure out it from the ground up.  i.e. it's all or
nothing.  This is frustrating as h*ll...  I seem to be constantly trying
to learn existing technology, never mind new stuff.  I had a lot of
trouble getting my head around SQL for some reason.  I think this this
problem (feature?) is a result of starting out at the lower level. (Or
maybe I should just realize I should go dig ditches for a living (but that
sounds to much like work.))

My favorite language is C++. I want to start doing Java (maybe JSP).  I do
a lot of perl.  I look at PHP from time to time, but I keep going back to
perl (mostly because of CPAN).  I use MySQL and Postgresql.

I'm glad I started out on the lower level, but I'm not sure it's required
for the new generation of software developers.

Anyways, that my .02 worth.
rna