Comments on: Barrett weighs in

newsmaker For Intel's CEO, the customer is king, clock speeds still matter and the United States is "basically complacent."

Education? What education?

Even News.com pretty much ignores the problem he brings up about education and moves onto a different topic as fast as possible. I can see how eventually North America will be just one big bastion of comsumers who no longer know how to produce anything. Ouch!

[aroyce]

Stop blaming education

Blaming education as the root of all woes is non-sense. Blame the inability of people to apply their education. What is the point of an "education" if you cannot apply it? My first degree was in engineering (robotics) from the University of California. I had to get into computers to stay employed since engineering started it's slide years ago. I keep my "P.E." license up to date but it's only value to me is to joke about it. So I got an MS in computers and I even teach part-time as an adjunct at night.

I work for a Mortgage company. We have a business analyst on staff with a chemical engineering degree! The lesson - quit wasting your time in college unless you want to be a lawyer. A lot of my engineering friends are in law school now so that they can sue their way to riches.

The point is that an education not-applied is a waste of time and money. The U.S. is rapidly rendering education economically unviable - both in the labor market and the uncontrolled cost of a college degree. In retrospect, I should have started a business in my 20's. Now in my 40's I have lots of useless credentials and must chase whatever livelihood I can find.

Don't blame our schools. Blame government policy that renders an education meaningless. I am still considering opening up an automobile detailing shop. Why did I go to school for that?

[peartree]

I'll second that!

It's easy to 'blame' the educational system. Of course that ignores the fact that the interviewer was trying to bring up the subject of OFFSHORING. So what Intel's head is basically saying is "To hell with the American worker. We don't want anyone over college age at all and we're having a hard time filling those slots for YOUNG workers in this country, so we'll go overseas.".

If there were anything that would make me dislike Intel, he just said it. I can see that the complacency reaches high places, too.

[hallken]

A failing economy, and education

Craig Barrett was correct, but I'll say what he probably would be remiss to address. Current political policies have pretty much trashed the ability of the emerging American entrepreneur to
enter the market place. The scarey part . .if this type of politics continues, we'll begin loosing talent in the work force.
I fear large leveling of the economy, which could possibly even prohibit recovery of certain major industries: steel, road construction, and petroleum, to name a few.
Education is at the core of our national disease. .guns rather than butter. If we had a highly educated American Society, most people would not have allowed the past election results which has sent our economy in a tail spin.
I feel for Arthur Royce. He should be working in his field and not be forced into thinking about taking up a job as an Automotive Detailer.

[Titos 2 Cents]

Standards, usability, and a climate for change

I agree that the interoperability is essential to future advances, and think the standards still have a ways to go before a decent global model is decided upon. The biggest roadblocks to technology still remain climate for change and usability. There is a general feeling that exists in the US that says, ?I don?t need that? in order to complete a task or advance a cause. A lot of this still relates to usability in my opinion, because while the technology inside the box has been advancing by leaps and bounds over the past decades, the interface the user sees and manipulates has changed very little.

After decades of improvements elsewhere, the user is still pecking away at a qwerty keyboard and sliding a mouse around. Practicality remains a big obstacle, and is probably one of the determining factors behind the stagnant level or user growth in the past few years. There simply isn?t enough daily benefit for people like my mother, who would rather make lists, balance checkbooks, schedule calendars and organize various data on paper than learn to use the latest OS or software program. Until we can make technology easy enough where the tech-phobic are willing to accept it, we will continue to face a population of downward-sliding capability ? either until the older generations pass on or until economic fortunes force technology to the forefront.

Apple strides appear to be ignored

I have read all of Barrett's comments and those of the
responders and have yet to see anyone mentioning Apple
Computer and the impressive strides that they have made in
making computers more useful and exciting.
Apple designs and builds complete computer systems that work
easily with digital music players, cameras, and with each other.
My laptops run cool enough to actually sit on my lap and their
batteries last longer than cross country trips. Simply put, they
make my life easier.
OS X, iPod, iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, iSync, .Mac and G5
improvements may not have reached my 70 year old mother, but
they are sure turning my wife and daughters into people that
understand why I spend so much time "playing on the
computer."