"I don't know anything about computers"

[JayM]

My school has mandatory "computer literacy" classes, but they're all classes on how to Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office, Microsoft this and Microsoft that! Even the kids who have Macs have to learn all that Microsoft stuff. It makes me wonder if the school is getting some kind of money deal to push MS products.

bill and melinda gates foundation.

thats not computer literacy, its consumer training. microsoft has exploited public schools for decades. apple is no saint, either. the schools should be ashamed.

I'm pretty sure that's inaccurate. Microsoft has had a policy of donating or subsidizing software and licenses to schools for decades.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a global charitable institution that's done a lot of good things for a lot of people. Here in the Philippines for example they've provided rabies vaccinations for animals to try to eradicate rabies from the country, and worked with local governments and city/provincial veterinarian's offices to set up free vaccination clinics in all the neighborhoods, towns and villages as well as in more remote areas.

I don't think the two have anything to do with each other.

[junoluna]

i installed MX for a friend a few weeks back ... she sent me a message this morning asking why she couldn't make google work

her electric was off ...

[JayM]

An ex cow-orker (co-worker) of mine used to do computer support for a small regional bank. He told me that one of their branches was changing locations and one user decided that instead of waiting for IT to move his computer to the new building and set it up he'd move his own PC on a weekend, then he called support because he couldn't make it turn on. It turns out he'd plugged the PC and monitor into the power strip, then plugged the power strip...into the power strip! No connection to the power outlet in the wall.

[freemedia2018]

Microsoft has had a policy of donating or subsidizing software and licenses to schools for decades.

pushers have a habit of getting people hooked on free stuff so that they become regular customers.

i know that metaphor is going to convince a couple people im just being prejudiced here; gates is not a nice person. like many incredibly rich people, he has more money than he will ever be able to spend and has invested some of it in a legacy. mark zuckerberg does the same kind of stuff that the gates foundation does-- hes not a nice person either.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a global charitable institution that's done a lot of good things for a lot of people. Here in the Philippines for example they've provided rabies vaccinations for animals to try to eradicate rabies from the country, and worked with local governments and city/provincial veterinarian's offices to set up free vaccination clinics in all the neighborhoods, towns and villages as well as in more remote areas.

hes invested in a lot of bad stuff too. stuff that we are told will feed the world, but is more likely to give them cancer.

I don't think the two have anything to do with each other.

its a popular subject among disillusioned techies.

when bad people get involved in charity, the causes get money and the bad people get more control over non-profits.

microsofts tactics taking over for-profit institutions is well known.

a lot of their biggest "competition" straddles the non-profit sector. bill wants his hands on the medical industry and the foundation has angered a lot of teachers over the years.

you can use non-profit foundations to drag public institutions in whatever direction you want. with regards to education specifically, the gates foundation has worked to push schools in the direction that gates wants-- all that money has strings attached.

the two are not completely unrelated at all, just because they really should be.

It turns out he'd plugged the PC and monitor into the power strip, then plugged the power strip...into the power strip!

ideally this would create a portable, unlimited supply of power for computers and peripherals. i wasnt able to get it working though.

[Mauser]

i installed MX for a friend a few weeks back ... she sent me a message this morning asking why she couldn't make google work

her electric was off ...

[tascoast]

JayM wrote: ↑
Wed Feb 05, 2020 3:52 pm
It turns out he'd plugged the PC and monitor into the power strip, then plugged the power strip...into the power strip!

ideally this would create a portable, unlimited supply of power for computers and peripherals. i wasnt able to get it working though.

The trick is to plug into the power outlet to get the electrickery spinning inside the computer, then quickly swap the plug to the power board before the electrickery inside the computer stops spinning, so that the whole thing keeps running by itself.

[mjtux]

I noticed that a few normal, reasonable, intelligent people seem to throw their common sense and their ability to think and reason right out the window as soon as a computer enters the equation. They can no longer even read and follow instructions.

I STILL get that way sometimes, when I'm tired and frustrated.
I've been using computers for over thirty years and started with a programming curriculum in 1986.
It helps to remember where I started. The first computer I tried to use was a Kaypro portable. Two 5.25 inch floppys and no hard drive. I couldn't figure out how to turn it ON. There was no visible button or switch. It was humiliating. I had to find the User's Manual and hunt for an answer - the power supply switch on the back.
Once turned on, I saw a bunch of text that was meaningless.
The last line was something about "Non-system disk ...". There was no other response so I turned it off.

some folks, even get lost, when "an Icon" is *not* in it's usual place:
- they don't look around the Entire Desktop Screen - - which ain't that big .. ..

One morning I got a call that people in an office were freaking out because some colors had changed in their database software. They thought the whole network had been hacked.
I had done some online maintenance the night before. When I finished, I decided to make things look a little better. WOW, big mistake!

I have told people to just push every button you see, You will learn something.

An ex cow-orker (co-worker) of mine ...


..... he called support because he couldn't make it turn on. It turns out he'd plugged the PC and monitor into the power strip, then plugged the power strip...into the power strip! No connection to the power outlet in the wall.

That doesn't seem possible.
I've heard of people calling tech support because the printer wouldn't work. When the technician got there, the printer was not plugged in.

[JayM]

The first computer I tried to use was a Kaypro portable. Two 5.25 inch floppys and no hard drive. I couldn't figure out how to turn it ON. There was no visible button or switch. It was humiliating. I had to find the User's Manual and hunt for an answer - the power supply switch on the back.
Once turned on, I saw a bunch of text that was meaningless.
The last line was something about "Non-system disk ...". There was no other response so I turned it off.

Mine was an Altair 8080 connected to a teletypewriter that had a paper tape reader/writer on the side. The boot sequence consisted of toggling in a byte using a row of 8 toggle switches and a momentary-contact push-button switch to enter it, then repeating for the remaining bytes until it could recognize the TTY. Then I'd load a roll of paper tape that had BASIC, then another one for whatever game I wanted to play: mugwumps, lunar lander, battleship, or to print my biorhythms for the day. Each move in the games got printed on a roll of newsprint-like paper. It wasn't my computer, it belonged to the college I was attending at the time (1975-78.)

some folks, even get lost, when "an Icon" is *not* in it's usual place:
- they don't look around the Entire Desktop Screen - - which ain't that big .. ..

When I was doing desktop support I had a user/customer exactly like that. Her desktop had to be set up just so including her icons and shortcuts, and if anything didn't work correctly she'd get so upset she'd go home sick with a "migraine" headache. Even something like not being able to print to the networked printer she was used to using, when there were plenty of others on the same floor not that far away. Nice person, but boy! Did she ever require patience and mollycoddling. Re-imaging her computer took an entire afternoon where with most people maybe 20 minutes.

One morning I got a call that people in an office were freaking out because some colors had changed in their database software. They thought the whole network had been hacked.
I had done some online maintenance the night before. When I finished, I decided to make things look a little better. WOW, big mistake!

You should never do that in a production environment without getting prior approval, you know. Or at least, you know now.

[freemedia2018]

The trick is to plug into the power outlet to get the electrickery spinning inside the computer, then quickly swap the plug to the power board before the electrickery inside the computer stops spinning

worked, thanks!

tip: wear insulted pvc gloves when doing work with the electrickery spinner! (any good insult will do)

[seaken64]

They can no longer even read and follow instructions.

If any of you have ever done computer support, have you ever noticed this?

In my experience if someone does in fact read and follow instructions they will be fine. Most people prefer not to read instructions. They believe they "should be able to use the damn thing without having to read nuthin!"

The people who want to know how it works will be fine. If a person wants to know how to change their own oil in the car, or replace the battery, they will read up on it (a book about cars in our day, or, these days, at least watch a YouTube video or two). But most users do not want to know how or why. All they know is "it's broken" and call you to fix it.

Further up in the topic someone mentioned they couldn't figure out how to turn it on. A good client gets out the manual and reads about how to turn it on. But most people will call the tech and wait. The tech comes and flicks the switch - it's fixed!

I am also a technician for gas stoves and fireplaces. Most people are afraid of gas. I can show them how to light the pilot or replace the batteries in the remote. But most will just call and wait for me to come do it. They are afraid. I think it's the same with computers. (Although it's less reasonable with computers - nothing's going to blow up!)

My best clients can be talked thru it on the phone and they often surprise themselves. But they call me again if they don't recognize what they see, even after they have already done it. Fear.

And yes, never change the screen color, or type size, or add an entry box, or anything else without first having a staff meeting to let everyone know that things are going to change. They'll just sit there until you come in so they can show you their screen. Been there, done that!

Seaken64