Older people the Internet, computers and phones.
- Thread starter sityeuropa
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Soldato
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My folks are both in their 70's and know how to use computers, although they're far from expert with them. Mum knows how to use email and the 'net father uses it more efficiently. Neither stepfather nor stepmother have a clue about them though. To be fair he is in his 80's. He's not anti he just doesn't have any need for them and to be honest I can see his point.
'scuse me, I'm 50 and I've been around computers since the early 80's too. And I know how to build my own PC's thank you very much.
Am 43 mate, tell me something I don't know about computers?
I been into computers since 1982 so you need to up your age bracket a little.
Its the 50-60`s crew that don't have a clue, not there fault as home computers where not around then.
'scuse me, I'm 50 and I've been around computers since the early 80's too. And I know how to build my own PC's thank you very much.
'scuse me, I'm 50 and I've been around computers since the early 80's too. And I know how to build my own PC's thank you very much.
I digress we have few 50`s dark horses around!
But come on most don't have a jar of glue!
My dad was the one who got me into computers from whenever I was very young. Messing around on windows 3.0 or whatever it was in 1990. He started my passion.
My mum on the other hand, actively stayed away from them but she is doing well. She turned 60 this year and got her first smartphone which she is doing very well with
But yes - Im sure a lot of people know several people who missed the computer era....especially in the workplace which baffles me ie: my senior account manager lol
My mum on the other hand, actively stayed away from them but she is doing well. She turned 60 this year and got her first smartphone which she is doing very well with
But yes - Im sure a lot of people know several people who missed the computer era....especially in the workplace which baffles me ie: my senior account manager lol
The older people in my family were like this, but I finally persuaded them to go in with an open mind and try stuff out. Fast forward a few years and they now all have smartphones, laptops, etc. They phone me up for the odd problem here and there, but on the whole they've been absolutely fine.
Associate
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Thankfully my dad is an exception to that rule. He is 75 and worked in the computer industry when he left the RAF in the early 80s. He built his first pc from scratch from a kit (NASCOM 2) in 1980, which involved mounting all of the ICs onto the motherboard.
He was the one that go me into computers also with my first computer (ZX81), so i suppose i too am in the 40+ demographic of internet and computer users. Technology isnt that hard to keep abreast of if you have an interest in it.
He was the one that go me into computers also with my first computer (ZX81), so i suppose i too am in the 40+ demographic of internet and computer users. Technology isnt that hard to keep abreast of if you have an interest in it.
My, Mum has been using PC's since 2001, despite 14 years experience if you install a new browser(I put, Chrome on) she has no idea how to get to her email. I really hammered home about tab browsing but she either reuses the same tab or opens another instance.
Some people just don't retain what they learn.
Some people just don't retain what they learn.
I do voluntary work for Age UK as an IT teacher. Some of my clients having been coming most weeks for several years and I've noticed some interesting things when it comes to learning. Some people retain information and improve over time while others stay put no matter how often you show them something.
One lady whom I teach has been coming on and off for 5 years. Just the other week I was helping her transfer photo's from her phone to her laptop. At a certain point I instructed her to select the photo's she wanted and use the Drag and Drop method to shift them onto her laptop. Despite me showing her how to do this numerous times over the years, she was still completely baffled and couldn't do it. She doesn't have dementia and is lucid but she seems unable to retain what I teach her. Other clients I can show once and then they have it and it sticks. I've come to the conclusion that some people are not focused on what I'm saying to them as I'm saying it and are just bluffing their way through the learning process and hoping I will fix their problems for them ergo they don't need to put any effort in regarding learning.
One lady whom I teach has been coming on and off for 5 years. Just the other week I was helping her transfer photo's from her phone to her laptop. At a certain point I instructed her to select the photo's she wanted and use the Drag and Drop method to shift them onto her laptop. Despite me showing her how to do this numerous times over the years, she was still completely baffled and couldn't do it. She doesn't have dementia and is lucid but she seems unable to retain what I teach her. Other clients I can show once and then they have it and it sticks. I've come to the conclusion that some people are not focused on what I'm saying to them as I'm saying it and are just bluffing their way through the learning process and hoping I will fix their problems for them ergo they don't need to put any effort in regarding learning.
Soldato
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What if that person hasn't worked in an office? Tradesman for example.
Are you teaching my mum ?
Despite her playing farmville like an absolute boss, multitasking multiple farms, accounts , huge stockpiles of resources and items, ask her to move a photo from her phone to the desktop she literally cannot do it after 5 years of using windows.. she just starts right clicking left clicking and panicking saying she will break the computer because she didn't do it right first time.... Its infuriating.
She still cannot comprehend the difference of left and right click "outside" of farmville. It blows my mind.
Are you teaching my mum ?
She still cannot comprehend the difference of left and right click "outside" of farmville. It blows my mind.
Sounds like my mum. My mum is an avid gamer (I got her into it), she likes Skyrim etc. and First Person Shooters and she's quite good. Ask her to put a link to something in an email though, and you'd think I'd just asked her to explain quantum entanglement or something lol.
How much have computers actually changed though?
- The only real change to keyboards in the last 30 years is the addition of the Windows key (plus plug shape and the transition from mechanical keyboards to membrane).
- The only real change to mice in the last 30 years was the addition of a second button and then the wheel in the 90's (plus plug shape and the transition from ball to optical).
- The only real change to monitors in the last 30 years is the depth of the housing and the resolution (plus plug shape).
Even inside the box it hasn't changed much in 30 years, you put the CPU/RAM in the motherboard, connect any storage drives, fit the dedicated GPU if there is one and connect the PSU (This has become childsplay over time as the I/O card, sound card and NIC are built into the mother board now, the cache is built into the CPU and the CPU/IRQ/etc settings are all auto configured).
The only stuff that has really changed in 30 years is the software, as Amiga/Atari/etc died out leaving just Microsoft, but even then it's not changed much, since 1995 the UI has remained essentially the same except getting prettier (except for W8 obviously, which is also when it started getting more basic). Most web browsers all look pretty similar to a mid 90's copy of mosaic (the grandfather of all modern browsers) just prettier. Photoshop just looks like a prettier more advanced version of Paint Shop Pro. Word still looks like a rip off of mid 90's Wordperfect. Excel still looks like a ripoff of late 80's Supercalc. The list goes on but aside from getting prettier and easier to use neither the software or hardware has changed all that much in 30 years.
I didn't address it because from the user's perspective it's irrelevant as it has no impact on the user experience, you don't need to click faster because your CPU has higher IPC.
Granted if your computer is old it may be slow running the latest stuff, but that's not really a change either as it's always been like that.
Absolute nonsense. What the hell ? It has a massive impact on the users experience. Faster CPU's, faster RAM etc makes a massive difference to the users experience. Try running Photoshop on a ZX Spectrum and see how far you get. Try playing Battlefield 4 on a Commodore 64 and see how far you get. Try using Netflix on a 56k modem and see how far you get. Speed is everything. More processing power = more productivity.
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It's all the same to non tech literate people though, once they know you "work with computers" that's it.
Starts with friends and family, and before you know it randoms have been passed your number and are calling you. I normally find their interest dries up when you ask them to bring the equipment to me, rather than go to theirs.
I think you're misunderstanding.
I wasn't saying that improved performance hasn't improved the user experience, I was saying that it hasn't actually changed/altered it. Basically it's the same thing but faster, and things not being as slow isn't going to confuse anyone.
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Random thought: Are "the kids today" actually that much better than older people or do we just perceive them to be? I.E I know and know of a hell of a lot of people who are awesome at finding Facebook or Word however couldn't install a printer or defrag a hard drive to save their lives.
Last week I had a buddy tell me his computer was completely screwed and failing to load Windows, turned out he had caught the BIOS reset button on the back panel while moving it and it was trying to boot from the wrong drive (and this isn't even a mouth breather, it was a highly intelligent guy who's also a hardcore gamer)
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