What Todays' Coders Don't Know And Why It Matters

jfruhlinger writes: "Today's programmers have much more advanced languages and more forgiving hardware to play with — but it seems that many have forgotten some of the lessons that their predecessors picked up in a more resource-constrained era. Newer programmers are less adept at identifying hardware constraints and errors, thorough specifications developed before coding, and low-level skills like programming in assembly language. You never know when a seemingly obsolete skill will come in handy: for instance, Web developers who cut their teeth in the days of 14.4 Kbps modems have a leg up in writing apps for laggy wireless networks."