They tried to teach me during my apprenticeship (early 90s) to use the dials bs the DRO and I wasn’t having it.
When asked what I was going to do if I went to a shop that didn’t have DROs I said I would tell them to move up into the 80s and get them.
Figured if I was ever in that situation where my boss was dumb enough to have not figured this out on his own I’d get fast tracked.
Today I can and do use dials, none of our lathes at work, nor none or the three I own have DROs on them, but for milling it’s a must.