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Up to the 1970's, the main type of technical
magazines to be found in bookstores were on auto-
mechanics. With the invention of the computer, books and
magazines on computers started competing for shelf
space, which eventually shunted aside the automobile
magazines.
Initially, most of the books on computers were technical,
they were written to meet the demand of a growing
minority of laypersons who needed (and, later,
wanted) to understand and use the technology. So
there were software books that described programming
languages, operating systems, application development
and methodologies, while books about computer hardware
dealt with tubes, chips, logic circuits and electronics.
The first generation of non-expert readers were people
curious about the new technology and how it was
revolutionizing the way human beings performed
technically oriented mental tasks. This set of readers was
followed by people who wanted to become developers,
users, and technicians. So most books were written with
a focus on what was happening inside the computer. But,
even at this early stage, a lot was happening outside the
computer too. There had suddenly emerged a new class of
workers who had never existed in human history: people
making a living in the Information Technology industry.
Now, the inside of a computer offers many challenges.
You may be a computer programmer and the program
is full of bugs; or you may be a systems analyst and the
design does not meet user requirements; or you could be
a Manager of Information Systems (MIS) and have staff
shortages or the computer has intermittent breakdowns or
the software is unsuitable, and so on. Life in the technical
department is often stressful – working long hours, and on
THE OTHER SIDE
OF
THE COMPUTER
50 Year’s Practical Experience
in Information Technology
Franklyn Dookheran
THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE COMPUTER
T
o celebrate fifty (50) years practical experience
in Information Technology, Franklyn Dookheran
published a book "The Other Side of the
Computer" which was launched by NALIS on
September 14, 2017 at their auditorium in Port of
Spain.
weekends, with passed deadlines, expired budgets, and
virus-corrupted files.
But the other side of the computer has its pressures as
well. Here are some selected events from my own career:-
•
A colleague brought to my attention an advertisement
in the Employment section of the classifieds. I checked
it out and discovered that it was my position being
described as vacant.
•
I was invited to attend an emergency meeting, but was
too busy to go. Later that day a delegation came to
my office. The company wanted the Christmas bonus
payments payslips within 24 hours and, if the deadline
wasn’t met, I was told that the industrial officer would
be killed. And, NO...... this wasn’t a bad joke.
•
The Chairman of the largest brewery company got a
request from the Vice-President of IT to sign a cheque
for US $25 million. He was uncomfortable and asked
me to do a forensic investigation...... My findings were
astonishing.
•
I conducted a Tender assignment for the supply of
software for a bank, only to have the army appear with
guns and seize the proposals. .......What did I do?
•
Quadruple by-pass surgery, herniated disc, three
months paralysed. .......Is your career coming to an
end?
•
Divine intervention? ........ What do you mean?
•
A Cobra snake on the living compound. .....All in the
line of duty?
So which side of the computer is really more stressful?
This book, "The Other Side of the Computer "
will provide some answers to that question as well as other
questions. It is best described as an autobiography of
my professional life. My IT career spanned four continents,
the Caribbean basin, and thirty-three cities between 1966
and 2015.
With over 11,000 new words in a computer dictionary, I
have deliberately omitted technical descriptions so as not
to make this another technical book. Instead, I
have attempted to bring out the human aspect of life
experienced by those who have committed to a career in
IT. After all, without life on the other side of the
computer, it would all be meaningless.
The book is available in Nigel Khan book stores.
Submitted by Franklyn Dookheran
· Pioneer - Mainframe Technology to large companies and
Government
· Outsourcing facilities – established a Data Processing Bureau
· Micro Technology – established the National Microsystems
Centre
· RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification Technology) to Ministries
and State Corporations
Franklyn Dookheran
