Take comfort, you are not alone with this problem. In Germany, too, you can now work until 67. On the other hand, what do you do when you retire? Feed the ducks in the park?
Don't look at it negatively, it blocks your mind. A certain age doesn't just have negative aspects. You're on the wrong track. What age also brings is experience. And this experience is what you can build on. The problem is that this is hardly recognised or rewarded in today's society. But if I want to have an effective programme code, who do I give this task to? A newbie from university or an experienced programmer. That's really just marketing and persuasion again. That's the real dilemma.
To come back to the AS/400. As a young technician, I was enthusiastic about the simple structure of the system, but it still had a decisive advantage. It had evolution in it and did not constantly break with the achievements of the past. Unfortunately, this strategy is no longer relevant today. What do I mean? Well, a customer once bought a System /36, the predecessor of the AS/400, and when it became outdated and too slow for his needs, he was offered a System /38. The hardware and operating system layers were simply exchanged for the applications and data layers. The customer didn't actually notice anything about this exchange, but his system was much faster and more efficient. The same thing happened when IBM replaced the System /38 with the AS/400, and later with the AS/400 advanced series. Many customers were still working with software and data that already existed on the /36. Madness.
In addition, the system itself was incredibly scalable. Theoretically, there were no limits. The customer grew, his system grew with him. That's how it should be.
But I'm getting off the subject. The topic of AS/400 reminded me of my time in Pomezia, a town south of Rome. It was here that I discovered my love for Italy, an unforgettable time...
- Lunchtime in the IBM cafeteria: vast quantities of espresso are consumed, deadly for a European north of the Alps...
- In the evening in the marvellous pizzeria in Torvaianica, in the middle of the sea, a catwalk from the beach leads out to the sea. The pizza chef puts on a huge show, whirling a giant pizza dough through the air in the middle of the restaurant and baking each pizza in front of the guests...
- Lira notes with unbelievable values on them. Everyone was a millionaire in Italy...
I miss that.