Why aren't young programmers interested in mainframes?

[Anuj Dhawan]

Since so long I wanted to start this thread and wanted to know - Why aren't young programmers interested in mainframes?

[Anjali Chopra]

Perhaps because there is not enough money in it?

[Anuj Dhawan]

Passion and belief in/and about zOS has something to do here, by any chance?!

[Darklord]

In the days when I first started out there wasn't anything other than Mainframes, there were no Personal Computers, no Internet, and the Mainframes typically had memory around the very low hundreds of Kb.

If anyone was interested in the 'New Technology' of the day it was either Mainframe or nothing!

Maybe with the ease of being able to access machines thousands of times more powerful and small enough to fit in your hand these days, young programmers don't see the need to study what they see as immobile, and outdated hardware?

Of course we all know that's nonsense, however most youngsters these days seem to be preoccupied with getting the smallest, fastest and most powerful device possible. Generally seeming to overlook or ignore the enormous power and potential of a modern Mainframe.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

[Anuj Dhawan]

In a way I agree with you DL. Most of the programmers I met, they just don't understand what the Mainframe is and for that matter, it's more tough to make them understand if they never worked with one. OTOH, as you said -- other 'small computers' have a great reach and perhaps that's why the fascination, though, for 'real enterprise work' Mainframes are still far better, as a Server or platform; IMHO.