Kaarle's software server

Kaarle Kaila

Occupation

I am a computer professional. I have been working with computers since 1969. My first contact with a computer was in 1965 at the University of Helsinki. The first computer I programmed was an IBM 1620 ( I think) and the languages were SPS (Assembly) and Fortran. This computer took punched cards for input and it had a lineprinter and two removable hard disks. The IBM1620 was using decimal numbers only. Next year I continued my studies with a computer called something like Elliot 309. The languages at that time where machine code and Algol. If I remember correctly, the only I/O for the Elliot was punched paper tape. Elliot had perhaps 4 kb memory where the word size was 39 bits. A word could contain data or two machine instructions.

How have computers changes since I started (1969-)?

The first computer I was working with was an IBM 360 model 40. It was had 32 bit architecture, It had 128 KB memory and 8*30MB disk space. With removeble disks there was enough disk space. One could say that it was comparable with a current PC a few years ago. It required a machine room and separate air-conditioning but in my opinion the price was the main differnece:

So: The programmer of today earns 3333 times as much as in 1969. Aren't we fortunate?

I have worked since 1969 with IBM 360, PDP11, Interdata/Perkin Elmer, Honeywell/Bull DPS6, some 8 bit cpm computers, various PC computers since early 1980'ies. I have been a programmer, software specialist, product manager for different systems. Today I plan and develop applications for company internal use, mainly in the Client-Server environment.

I am employed by Fujitsu Computers Oy in Finland at the Information Systems department in the Computer factory.

after 27.6.1996 I have had visitors on one of my pages here

My studies

I received a degree (LuK) in Mathematics from the University of Helsinki in 1968. Computer Sciences was one of my subjects, but only at a low level as it only started the year before in Helsinki. I was the 7th person to have the approbatur for computer sciences in Helsinki University. That was what professor Martti Tienari told me on when he signed my study book. My subjects In addition to above were Cum Laude in Mathematics and Statistics.

I have seen the LuK (Luonnontieteen kandidaatti) degree being translated to Bachelor of Sciences and FK (Filosofian kandidaatti) to Master of Sciences. A person with a LuK degree is not considered to have completely finished his studies. I hade some parts of my Laudatur Studies in Mathematics ready, but my work and other things took me away from the university so I did not finish it.

At the beginning of my studies I was afraid that the only thing a mathematician can do is to be a teacher. Although I was very interested in mathematics I was somewhat scared of the future with all the disobedient youngsters. Luckily for me the computers became my rescue from this. I like children, but I was not very sure I could manage the disciplinary parts of teaching.

In august 1994 I decided to go back to the University. This time with Computer Sciences as my main subject. I am studing only part time so I am not advancing too rapidly. My main reason to continue with my studies was to get aquainted with the more theoretical side of computers instead of the mainly product related issues I see daily. At least so far I have advanced in my studies as I expected. I don't expect that if I someday graduate with the FK degree it would have any effect on my profession other that the knowledge I get from the university gives me better ability to answer to the demands of today.

One of the lectures I was following in autumn of 1994 was by professor Martti Tienari that I mentioned above. He was still the head of the Computer Sciences department at that time and in my eyes he had not changed since 1968. Of course I cannot see that much change in myself either unless I look at some old photographs.

In spring 1999 I am taking the two last courses at the University:
http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/kurssit/laudatur/58107-3/ and
http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/kurssit/laudatur/581290-5/

After this I must still do my Masters thesis and I have preliminary discussed with the professor about a subject around Genealogy and Computers. Interesting ingredients might be the data-model developed by http://www.gentech.org perhaps combined with XML and/or GEDCOM.

In Finland University are as good as free of charge (less than 100 USD a year) so for me it has been mainly an issue of the time and effort it takes. I have been able to attend the courses and the extra studying I have done after the children are in bed after 21:00.

My family

I have been married twice.

From my first marriage I have two children i.e Susanna born in 1969 and Tomi in 1972.

From my second marriage I have three children: Camilla born in 1990, Johanna in1991 and Filip in 1994

I enjoy being with children and I have always enjoyed it. Today only the last three live together with me and they do occupy most of my free time after work up to about 21:00.

Hobbies

Science fiction and space

I have enjoyed Science Fiction litterature ever since I was rather young. It was easy to travel in space at that time as we did not know much about the planets Mars and Venus. I don't remember that there would have been much need to travel beyond those places in my youth.

I was a dissapointment when man reached those planets and found out that there were no aliens greeting us. Of course science fiction soon invented travels to other stars and faster than light travelling etc, but it's not so easy to believe that it could really be true. Could it be that I am older and wiser now??

Today unfortunately I don't have much time for Science fiction. Only during summerholidays I try to pick up some interesting books to read. I have this Island together with my brother and there is no electricity so there I have usually time for some.

I joined the Planetary Society several years ago and it has been interested to follow the actual human space activites. All members receive 8 times a year the Planetary Report with interesting reports on American and Russian activites. The society has done a great job in getting the american and russian scientists together.

Genealogy

I have been a member of the board of Sukutietotekniikka ry, a society with computers and genealogy in mind, since beginning of 1994. Since 1999 the society merged with the Genealogical Society of Finland where I am a board member now. I am not myself a genealogist but I have found it very interesing to follow what other do. My own family has been researched quite a lot by some of my relatives. I am planning a new copy of the descendants of my great-great-grand-father who was born in 1810. The previous catalogues have been edited mainly by my father and the 5^th copy is my task. I already participated with computer tecnology in making the 4^th copy ten years ago.

I have participated in progarmming the programming of the Genealogic Application used by more than 1000 genealogists mainly in Finland. You can get the program from the Kaarle Kailas software directory. You can select the language that the program uses between Finnish/Swedish/English. A dutch and german language set is also available at this site. The language dependent parts are in a separate text file and the help file. A Genealogic Tree application "Genealogia" to make graphical trees from the family database that I have made can also be found on this site. It has also the ability to create ancestor and descendant reports using Word 97. The page with my ancestors (at the top of this page) has been written with it. The database itself contains texts and comments only in Finnish or Swedish so it's perhaps not too easy to follow if you don't know these languages. The application is mainly in English but all instructions that you can find are sofar only in Finnish and Swedish. If you are interested in it let me know. I might consider translating these texts

The accesscounter used is managed by