I make my living as a network admin/tech support manager and this article in the New York Times is completely on the money.
Many of the computationally confused say they suffer from genuine intimidation and even panic over how to handle the mysterious machines they have come to rely on for so much of daily life. Virus writers, spammers and scammers, they say, are the ones who should be held accountable for the chaos they cause.
But as the same people equip themselves with fancy computers and take advantage of the Internet for things like shopping and banking, critics say that their perpetual state of confusion has begun to get tiresome. And while the Internet’s traditional villains remain elusive, those inadvertently helping them tend to be friends and neighbors.
…..
And some, tired of being treated like free help lines, are beginning to rebel. They are telling friends, relatives and random acquaintances to figure it out on their own.
More to the point, I think it’s simple common courtesy. It’s not acceptable to approach a doctor or a lawyer outside of their office for free advice and I see no reason why IT folks shouldn’t be treated the same way. Otherwise I’ll be happy to help… at a price.
Meanwhile, this person strikes a blow again gender stereotyping:
But his girlfriend, Miriam Tauber, 24, makes no apologies for her lack of computer knowledge. To her, computers are like “moody people” who behave illogically. If people like Mr. Rubenstein expect her to understand them, she suggests, perhaps they should learn to speak in a language she can understand, rather than ridiculous acronyms and suffixes.
“There are these MP3’s and PDF’s and a million other things that you don’t even know what they are,” Ms. Tauber said. “I don’t feel like I need to figure out computers, because my instinct is there’s just no way.”
Then may I suggest that you don’t use a computer ever.
I am so waiting for the $50 four-hour Barrus Computer Workshop/Seminar: Tips For The Intermediate Computer User with Q&A session at the end. And for an extra few bucks, that Pumpkin & Leek Soup for the finale.
Verily, the Geeks shall inherit the Earth. —
Apart from that, hmmm. As one who considers himself, well, semi-computerliterate, I beg to differ, at least to some extent. Let’s address these issues separately:
I.
Regarding the social gnats who buttonhole you at inopportune moments to cadge advice: your animosity towards them is justifiable, but there isn’t much you can do about it. As you indicate, it is no more appropriate to pester doctors or lawyers in this way, but that does not stop people from so doing, and it never will. My grandfather, a prominent radiologist and world-class cheapskate, rudely rebuffed all seekers of free advice, but he could never break them of the habit.
II.
As for the laity’s complaints about the arcane, even occult (in the true sense of the word) nature of the computer field, Geeks can lay no better claim to righteousness than any other class of experts. Two of the more annoying character traits common among most experts are their impatience and disdain directed towards those who are not privy to the inner sanctum and its wisdom. This is now rampant throughout society. The folks at the IRS, for instance, think we should spend all of our spare time, hell, perhaps all of our time, saving receipts, filing forms, and bringing ourselves up to speed on the myriad of new legislation and regulations. Any high school student will tell you that each of his teachers expects him to spend every minute on that teacher’s class alone.
The core of the problem with computers, much as aficionados are loath to admit it, is that the systems, both hard and soft, both Mac and Wintel, are far from perfected. Because of the uniquely cognitive and interactive–as opposed to purely mechanical–nature of computers, and the dependecy upon them to which we have rapidly acquiesced, manufacturers and programmers have been able to get away with putting out decidedly flawed products.
From the standpoint of consumer quality, computers have reached the stage which automobiles passed after the 1930s, when cars broke down frequently, overheated, and boasted no safety features to speak of. A good set of tires might last 10,000 miles; there was no air conditioning, fuel injection, power steering, unibody construction or automatic transmission. Since the likelihood of breakdowns was much greater, a lack of mechanical knowledge was much more perilous than it would be today. By the same token, today’s computers, with their unreliable software, vulnerability to low-tech virus sabotage and propensity to freeze up with incomprehensible error messages, demand a much greater level of knowledge on the part of the end user than is really justifiable. Remember, a computer for most people (and institutions) is a device, a means to an end; it should not be necessary to be an expert both in one’s own field and in that of your office equipment–otherwise, many would no doubt be better off with typewriters and filing cabinets.
This problem isn’t limited to those of us in IT; I have friends who are developers, electrical engineers, accountants, lawyers..they all get the constant questions from their parents. Everyone I know between 20 and 40 regularly assists friends and relatives with computer problems at no charge.
As for the primitive state of personal computing, I’ve long believed that this is by design. Sure, they could make a lightbulb that lasts ten years, but then they wouldn’t sell as many lightbulbs. And so it is with software. Why incorporate all your great ideas into one mega-release, when you can drip it out in several incremental releases over a much longer period, and gain more revenue? Moreover, it doesn’t really help the situation that the largest software company in the world has no real competition in OS software. Without a sizeable competitor, then can incorporate new features at practically any rate they like. And every so often, OS X or Linux will come up with some feature Windows lacks, and MS can just co-opt it and go back to their glacially-slow release schedule.
It looks to me like Clarke should’ve called his book “2021 A Space Odyssey” because I can’t imagine us getting anywhere toward that kind of AI in the next few decades.
Since I know my way around the NYC metro area pretty well, and a lot of the folks I hang with don’t, I think I will start charging everyone for directions, like who the hell do they think I am ? Hagstrom ?