The CW Elite...

Dan KF6A wrote: "The only reason I ever hear for doing away with the morse code requirement, is, what is it good for why do I have to know it, I don't want to know it, etc., whining etc.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon to figure out that, I don't want to (learn cw), cry cry, sounds like a little kid throwing a fit."

There was a time when I respected the effort necessary to learn CW and even thought about learning it down the road to upgrade my ticket. No more. Now I join the ranks of those who look to the future and say that it's about time the obsolete CW elite is deposed. If the discipline of computer programming were administered as ham tickets are, every computer science major would have to demonstrate the ability to toggle the input switches of the ENIAC and hit the enter button VERY RAPIDLY as his or her entry into the higher ranks of computer access. Makes little sense. I don't respect your attitude, sir, nor the attitude of any other antiquated coder who tells me I must demonstrate the ability to slap an on-off switch rapidly to get a ticket upgrade. CW's time is over. Ticket upgrades should be administered on the basis of increased knowledge of technical, operational, and legal standards. Not on how fast you can encode and decode "dits" and "dahs." A stupid piece of silicon can be programmed to do that. Human beings should be held to truly "higher standards." Tests will still be necessary to upgrade, nothing will be handed out for free as you imply. I'm looking forward to restructuring and the demise of the Nineteenth century code. It was useful for telegraphy and had it's place in radio history. But its time is over.