Not smart enough to own a PC? I think most people aren't.

mistersprinkles

mistersprinkles

mistersprinkles

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My thoughts more clearly outlined in video form. If you have 10 mins plz watch...

https://youtu.be/EnRkx2Qz6KU

As a person who considers themselves a power user and can build computers, diagnose problems and solve my own issues 100% of the time, I feel that we are at a point- and have been for some time- where people are too stupid to buy PCs eh? Oh sure, yeah.

This is going to be a long post so if you don't want to read, I won't be offended buddy. I'm not saying that people aren't smart enough to buy PC's because I'm a jerk or anything eh? I think it's true. Computers were, once long ago, some of them, a lot more user friendly in some ways. Take the Amiga. Doing basic work on an amiga is not difficult. Especially a 500. You put the diskette in, you open the program. Not a whole lot in the way of granular controls that you need to know as far as the very limited operating system goes. Also the tasks people wanted to perform were a lot simpler eh? Make a doodle in deluxe paint, play some games, maybe write a paper, all very simply with very limited options. No hard drive to fail eh?

Some computers are still very simple, and don't put a novice user in harms way, computers like Chromebooks and ipads and to much a lesser extent Macs.

I have read so many posts and heard so many things where people just do stupid things or say stupid things when it relates to their PCs eh? There seem to be two kinds of know-nothing users. You have column A who infect the living hell out of their machines and they bog down and run at 1% of their original performance. User thinks "computer has broken down", bins it, and buys a new one. They do this every 1-3 years. Then you have column B of know nothing users, people still running Pentium 3's and Pentium 4's and running Win 98 or Win XP and being online and not realizing they're doing anything stupid eh?

Neither of these types of users can diagnose let alone solve any problems they encounter and you see them posting stupid things online like "I upgraded to Windows 10 and it broke my computer eh? Now I have no sound!". Yes, these people are too stupid to know what a device driver is, let alone download and install one. And if they do know they need a device driver they'll click the first link in google and download "Ahmad's Quick Driver Installer 3.1" which will infect their computers with malware eh?

I'm so sick and tired of these people who keep buying PCs without realizing the level of knowledge required to use one properly guy. It's absolutely infuriating. They buy them because that's what they (barely) know, there are cheap PCs out there... and they buy them eh? They don't realize that for what they do (The average user emails, uses facebook, watches youtube, not a whole lot else) that a chromebook would serve them so much better for so much less money eh?

I haven't recommended Windows PCs to noobs for such a long time now. I think microsoft would be wise to make a "For Dummies" version of windows where everything is automatically sandboxed and options are limited and it just does the basic stuff without risk (minimal risk at least) of malware and screw ups. Guy. Buddy. Friend. Eh?
 
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On the other hand, being able to instantly Google an error code or issue that a PC is having makes fixing issues so much easier now than the old DOS/Windows 95/98/XP days.

Even when you have a PC that won't even POST you can get some ideas on a smartphone. Never used to have that option. It was all more hassle before smartphones.
 
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I'd argue that its rather an elitist attitude to suggest that people are too "stupid" to own a pc...

PC hard-ware is at a point in which a child could put one together.. The issues arise at software, and even then its idiot-proof.. So no i don't think that the majority of people are too stupid to build and use a PC..

Do you not recall having to install windows from floppy disks?..

Windows IS "For dummies" now..
 
mistersprinkles said:
As a person who considers themselves a power user and can build computers, diagnose problems and solve my own issues 100% of the time, I feel that we are at a point- and have been for some time- where people are too stupid to buy PCs.

This is going to be a long post so if you don't want to read, I won't be offended. I'm not saying that people aren't smart enough to buy PC's because I'm a jerk or anything. I think it's true. Computers were, once long ago, some of them, a lot more user friendly in some ways. Take the Amiga. Doing basic work on an amiga is not difficult. Especially a 500. You put the diskette in, you open the program. Not a whole lot in the way of granular controls that you need to know as far as the very limited operating system goes. Also the tasks people wanted to perform were a lot simpler. Make a doodle in deluxe paint, play some games, maybe write a paper, all very simply with very limited options. No hard drive to fail.

Some computers are still very simple, and don't put a novice user in harms way, computers like Chromebooks and ipads and to much a lesser extent Macs.

I have read so many posts and heard so many things where people just do stupid things or say stupid things when it relates to their PCs. There seem to be two kinds of know-nothing users. You have column A who infect the living hell out of their machines and they bog down and run at 1% of their original performance. User thinks "computer has broken down", bins it, and buys a new one. They do this every 1-3 years. Then you have column B of know nothing users, people still running Pentium 3's and Pentium 4's and running Win 98 or Win XP and being online and not realizing they're doing anything stupid.

Neither of these types of users can diagnose let alone solve any problems they encounter and you see them posting stupid things online like "I upgraded to Windows 10 and it broke my computer. Now I have no sound!". Yes, these people are too stupid to know what a device driver is, let alone download and install one. And if they do know they need a device driver they'll click the first link in google and download "Ahmad's Quick Driver Installer 3.1" which will infect their computers with malware.

I'm so sick and tired of these people who keep buying PCs without realizing the level of knowledge required to use one properly. It's absolutely infuriating. They buy them because that's what they (barely) know, there are cheap PCs out there... and they buy them. They don't realize that for what they do (The average user emails, uses facebook, watches youtube, not a whole lot else) that a chromebook would serve them so much better for so much less money.

I haven't recommended Windows PCs to noobs for such a long time now. I think microsoft would be wise to make a "For Dummies" version of windows where everything is automatically sandboxed and options are limited and it just does the basic stuff without risk (minimal risk at least) of malware and screw ups.
Click to expand...
Read this in the voice of President Trump and tell me if it's better or worse.

So beautiful. Thank you Puerto Rico!
 
terley said:
I'd argue that its rather an elitist attitude to suggest that people are too "stupid" to own a pc...

PC hard-ware is at a point in which a child could put one together.. The issues arise at software, and even then its idiot-proof.. So no i don't think that the majority of people are too stupid to build and use a PC..

Do you not recall having to install windows from floppy disks?..

Windows IS "For dummies" now..
Click to expand...

The counter argument is that there are people at work can't even work out how to fill a paper tray in a photocopier. People, I would say a majority are not really that IT literate.
 
Some people are just skilled at different things, not everyone is technically minded when it comes to pc's.

Your rant could just as equally be valid if you replaced "pc" with "car". The simple truth is that these days most people who use something dont know how it works.

But that doesnt mean people should be excluded from using something. Hell the only reason to exclude someone from using something is if it'd be dangerous to try and operate without proper training (for example a driving licence)

As much as a lack of it literacy is annoying, it's just a fact of life we have to deal with and unless you work in 1st line it service then i have no sympathy for your viewpoint.
 
That's more like it. :)

I'm assuming you're from somewhere in Canada (given your stated location)?

From watching a lot of North American TV shows the 'eh' is good pointer to the speaker coming from Canada rather than the USA (even when they've moved down south).
 
I've grown up with computers, from ZX81's, VIC20's, CBM Pet, CBM 64, Amiga's, Various bought and hand built PC's and laptops, iMac's, Power Macs and Macbook. I have programmed most of them and in my work capacity also programmed Z/OS mainframes.

Without a doubt computers are easier to use now than they have been in the past. The difference is that in the early days only techies used them. Nowadays everyone does and people have different interests and abilities.
 
mistersprinkles said:
I haven't recommended Windows PCs to noobs for such a long time now. I think microsoft would be wise to make a "For Dummies" version of windows where everything is automatically sandboxed and options are limited and it just does the basic stuff without risk (minimal risk at least) of malware and screw ups. Guy. Buddy. Friend. Eh?
Click to expand...

It's called IOS.
 
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