Hacker News Reader

Comment by wutwutwat | Hacker News Reader

You have to be trolling

Learning how linux operates, ops is done, networks are configured, firewalls are hardened, processes are monitored, resources are allocated, disks are backed up, ips are assigned, routing tables work, symlinks work, and code is deployed is never going to be an obsolete skill.

Pick whatever amazing heroku, fly, render, replit, next, k8s, nomad, docker, whatever platform you think has abstracted things away to make those skills obsolete and you'll find an entire cohort of our industry dedicated to using those skills to keep those services online, improving how they operate, and writing the literal software that powers them. Do you think docker or k8s could exist without Ops knowledge or systems programmers?

View on HN

I am not trolling.

My view is that there will be a few very smart people at the companies you mention, doing those things. But most jobs in the tech industry will not require those skills. That's the point of specialization. It is efficient.

You claim that linux, disk backup and routing tables will never be obsolete. Really?

I am curious what your background or specialization is, but I can confirm the skills you learn from Linux, backups, and networking will be applicable now and in the future. The only thing they can do is help make you a better engineer.

I'm an outsider. But sometimes they see things insiders don't, or don't want to. I'm an economist, and in my reading of economic history, I have yet to hear of a skill that always stayed applicable.

How long is always?

Being able to do various forms of maths (e.g. geometry) has been a useful skill for literally millennia.

Being able to drive has been a useful skill for about a century. The number of people who need this skill has probably peaked in developed countries, but is rising globally.

A lot of basic computer and networking technologies have been around since the 70s or even earlier and the pace of change has slowed a lot since then.

I am not convinced. A lot of these things were specialised before these companies took off - with different people doing sysadmin, managing networks, DB admin, programming etc. There was always need for some generalists.

It is also useful to have a deeper understanding of underlying and related systems to you own - it makes it easier to understand problems, to communicate with specialists, etc.

You mentioned you are an economist. Do you think it would be a good idea for someone interested in macroeconomics to decide never to learn any microeconomics at all? Specialisation should be additional knowledge built on a broader base.

> You claim that linux, disk backup and routing tables will never be obsolete. Really?

I would interpret never is "not in your working life" which is a reasonable claim.

Also, underlying skills. We will always need OSes (even if Linux because obsolete), we will always need to backup data, and we will always need to route information. If you have learned one OS, or have experience of backups, or setting up networks it will be much easier to update to the new version.

> You claim that linux, disk backup and routing tables will never be obsolete. Really?

If data exists, backing it up will never go away, and we still use magnetic tape drives for enterprise backup so no, disk backup isn’t going away, not within our lifetimes, and since your concern is the person wasting their time, I’ll assume our lifetimes is a fine timeline to look at.

Linux, and the open source world that exists because of it and GNU, aren’t becoming obsolete. With the steam deck and EVs, and android auto, Linux is deploying more places than ever, and only increasing. Every container you run is Linux, etc. Even windows supports running Linux.

Packet switching, which routing tables are a part of, is literally how the modern day internet is able to exist, IP protocol and all.

Everything you suggested are core to all modern day tech and won’t soon be obsolete, and you’re probably well aware. Perfect troll response with the selected tech you mentioned. Someone else will have to feed you.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com