It really does depend on the specific job.

For example the skill set needed to administer an Oracle database hasn't really changed in a long time. Have new tools come along that have better UI? Sure, but the process to create a database, do backups, make a clone, optimize a query, etc. haven't changed in ages.

As for people that right code, the real skill set of a good programmer never goes stale. Being familiar with one specific language or framework is really a very small part of a good programmers skill set. Any good programmer can pick up a different language of framework fairly quickly. Understanding various design patterns, development techniques, good comunications skills, etc. never go stale and are always relevant.

It seems Mr. Bloom is referring to experience with specific versions of software or hardware as the skill set. Not the actual skills it takes to effectively use that software or hardware.

It will not work with VS Express, but it will apparently work with VS Shell, which is free. VS Shell is just the IDE without any of the language compilers included.

The last numbers I saw in 2010 stated that the license cost for Blu-Ray was US$4.50 per player. That is over and beyond any hardware costs. So when you are talking about many millions of units shipped that becomes real money saved.

It's not the price relative to other choices that make high speed rail usage in China relatively low. It is the fact that the average monthly wages in China are something like 2000-3000 Yuan. Sure there are plenty of people in a company the size of China that make more then that, but the majority just plain can't afford to travel at all.

I paid for and used a copy of Trumpet a lot. Although I probably used it on 3 or 4 different PCs, one at a time, over the course of a couple years.

Where I have worked, about 1500-2000 employee manufacturing companies, the IT organization has fallen under two different places in the org chart. The VP-IT either reported directly to the President/CEO or to the VP-Finance & Accounting, who in turn reported to the President/CEO.

Nothing new for Games Workshop. Their lawyers love suing their best customers and have been doing it for decades now. My guess is this is where the RIAA and MPAA got the idea from.

There were times when I would actually code for 35-45 hours a week. Assuming "code" includes the wrote, run, crash, debug, rinse and repeat cycle.

These days I am lucky if I actually code more then 5 hours a week on average. I spend most of my times doing administrative tasks, being interrupted by coworkers and attending ineffective meetings.

N9KUB here, but I haven't used it much since the early 90's.