However, in 1985, an engineer with whom I worked and I got Macs for our offices.
Just like many who got PCs around 1985 (is a Mac a “public computer”? If not, why do they differentiate between “PCs” and “Macs”?), Ted and I went through PC growing pains. We were also a bit intimidated by the computers. I think a new vernacular is intimidating for most people.
People of my generation, although the first to get PCs, are still intimidated by the software.
One of the reasons that I don’t post here or at all of the other message boards to which I belong as much as I’d like is because I spend far too much time troubleshooting software problems. I have a computer because I want to utilize a very powerful tool not because I want to become a computer expert. However, I look at having a computer like having a car and having to change the motor out everyday before driving it.
Today, so far, I’ve just used my computer, which is what I want to do. But I’m willing to bet that something that has worked perfectly up to this point, the printer, software, etc., will react in a manner totally different than it’s ever reacted before – just because.
I had an “expert” take my computer a couple of weeks ago because there were too many “weird” things going on with it. He took it and reloaded the operating system.
When he brought it back to me, we checked to see if the problems were fixed.
One problem was that my Outlook email program was asking me for my password for no good reason over and over and over again. The tech said, “I fixed that.”
Guess what? After the computer was hooked up, Outlook started asking me for my password over and over and over again.
After “working on it” for about 45 minutes, the expert said, “I don’t understand why this is happening.” He “worked on it” by doing the same things that I had done before giving the machine to him to fix.
I went to Microsoft and went to one of the forums. I posted my question and, within a couple of hours, received an answer that fixed the problem.
I have a Maxtor back up drive. It worked fine until he brought the computer back. I was going to use it to repopulate my files. He “worked on that” for even less than 45 minutes. He finally said, “I don’t understand why this isn’t working. Maybe you should call Maxtor.”
I called Maxtor and they told me that I needed to lose Microsoft NET Framework 1.1. I uninstalled Microsoft NET Framework 1.1 and the back up drive began working just fine. Since then, I’ve gotten NET Framework 1.1 back with a Microsoft patch that fixed any problems with it.
We paid him and then he left.
Bottom line: I think that we “old folks”, because we started fussing with computers when they were first made available to the general public, may know more than those to whom we look as “experts”.
Anyone who was born into the PC society knows a lot about how to fix stuff once the stuff has gotten to a certain place. However, I’m not sure they know how things get to that place. I think that we “old folks” shouldn’t be too intimidated to research and work on our own computers.
It’s like someone who learns to drive an automobile with a standard transmission. If we get out onto the highway, freeway, motorway, whatever it’s called in your home town, and the engine begins to rev up, we think to ourselves, “Oh, I forgot to shift.” Then we say, “No I didn’t. This car has an automatic transmission. The car forgot to shift.”
At least those people know that the problem could very well be with the transmission.
Someone who never drove a car with a standard transmission may know that there’s something wrong, but may not have a clue as to what it is. That person may drive the car to the nearest service station. Have you ever asked a potato chip “associate” about a car problem?
We “old folks” may be more knowledgeable about the basics of how computers and most software behave than those for whom using a PC is second nature.
That’s a philosophical outlook. I guess I’d like to know if:
1. Anyone else sees using a computer as a high maintenance task (maybe working on troubleshooting more than actually utilizing the computer)
2. Does anyone else agree that people who’ve been using computers for a long time actually know more than they think they do?
Oh, by the way, I think that computers are so problematic because of greed. Software/computer technology corporations release new stuff to the general public after very little, if any, research and development. If there’s a new idea, stick it in there and sell it. We’ll deal with any problems that arise later.
I think we get software that doesn’t work perfectly because it’s not tested properly/enough before it’s released. Greed. (and I thought that I could keep this a-political).
To friendship,
Michael
“War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.” – Thomas Mann
The Mind Of Michael
Speak Your Mind And Read Mine
