Teaching parents the net..

Here we go again - oldies can't use computers.
Go along to your nearest computer fair and see what the average age of the geeks are.
I'm 49, started with a ZX80, starting building PC's in 88/89 and still continue to do so.
The thing with me is that I'm still learning where all you young uns think you know it all.

The ironic thing is that if all goes well, in early October I will be teaching teenagers who don't even know what computers are.
 
My parents are both 60+ and very capable with computers and the net.

Sure, they couldn't take one apart or build one from scratch, but it's only a tiny minority of computer users who can. My dad's got a book on it though, and could probably figure it out if he had to. He's installed RAM and PCI expansion cards in the past, so he's not totally inept on the building front.
 
My old man is 73.
He uses Sonar 5 Production Studio to record songs because he plays multiple musical instruments.
When he's finally edited the tracks with Soundforge he then compiles his own cd's.
He is quite skilled with Photoshop and Corel Draw to create his CD covers.
Of course he emails and he also has an account with Easynews Usenet provider.
 
With the wealth of information that exists on the net. Anybody can become proficient in using/building a computer. It simply requires googling.

But for the vast majority, they don't have the patience, and want everything to work instantly. Hence they go and buy a mac.
 
Here we go again.......I'm sitting here looking at my lovely Akasa case, but whats that I see? A 120.2 rad sitting on top? ...and my goodness all those pipe thingies inside the box, I bet theres water in them!!




I'm 60.
 
footman said:
Here we go again.......I'm sitting here looking at my lovely Akasa case, but whats that I see? A 120.2 rad sitting on top? ...and my goodness all those pipe thingies inside the box, I bet theres water in them!!




I'm 60.
Click to expand...
pix or it didn't happen! ;)
 
footman said:
Here we go again.......I'm sitting here looking at my lovely Akasa case, but whats that I see? A 120.2 rad sitting on top? ...and my goodness all those pipe thingies inside the box, I bet theres water in them!!




I'm 60.
Click to expand...


How many 60 year old people do you know that water cool their PCs?

I'm guessing just the one :p
 
Try teaching your mum how to use a different OS over the phone.

She was like my PC laptop is faster than this MacBook Pro!

The PC laptop is a 1.7Ghz Pentium M 256mb RAM with a god awful hadrdrive, the MacBook Pro is a 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 7200RPM HDD. If something didnt open instantaneously she would continue clicking.

Josh
 
I think we have a "no win" argument here! Though it does give me a good chuckle to read some of the posts.

In my experience... Age is no barrier to being computer literate. I've met plenty of clever people of all ages. I've also met plenty of very thick people of all ages. And this tends to apply to pretty much every aspect of live, not just computer literacy.

Just for the record. I'm in my 50's, been in IT 30+ years and build my own PC's. Now does this make me better, or cleverer than anyone else? Of course not. To think this is just plain stupid, experience tells me there are plenty of people out there (of all ages) that are brighter than me.

Though got to admit. I find Ageism, as much as racism, just plain offencive.

Let the posts continue.
 
mikeo said:
I think we have a "no win" argument here! Though it does give me a good chuckle to read some of the posts.
Click to expand...

We have one of these threads every other month where kids have to pretend that us oldies don't know how to use computers.
I said earlier - go to a computer fair and see how many of the geeks are over 50.
You could also go into your local PC shops and see how many of the owners are under 20.
 
My Dad is in his mid 60's and was moaning today that he had been having problems with his crash and burn box not coping with the Linux install he was doing to it, (not his fault, its very old hardware and I think the graphics cards on the way out), but he was happy as his DVD he had ripped to his harddisk had played back in PowerDVD when it wouldn't from the DVD drive he was trying to use. He wants to get a new C2D main rig but is leaving it for a bit while he sorts some other things out. He also knows how to do basic stuff on the two linux servers i keep down with them, (checking network and raid array type stuff). He did work for IBM as a system programmer for 26 years before going contracting for a few years ... now hes a part time hurse driver and coffin carrier ;)

My Mum was borderline technophobic, this may have been our fault due to things appearing when she was out, (one time she went to church on a Sunday morning and when she got back there was a humming sound coming from a cupboard in the dining room ... while she as out we had put a server in there and run network and phone cables to it from the loft (bungalow)) ... kinda made her paranoid about computers and she refused to do anything with them, but now she can surf the web and handle email ... and, as she's done courses in the past, touch type better than any one else in the family ... :)

Don't get me started on mobile phones though ... both of them have basic phones (5110 and a 3310 i think) .... no chance of texting at all and I don't think my Mum realises you have to have it turned on to receive calls ... my Dad just never charges his :rolleyes:

edit: I do know a couple of other guys who are in their 80's, are very interested in PCs. They are both able to build their own boxes, install OSes and get online. In one case he didn't even touch a computer till he was over 60 :)
 
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same here mate. My mum and dad knew nothing about computers, and after askign me to teach them i did (sort of). It lasted about 20mins before an argument, slammed doors and no-one talking to each other for ages lol. My dad is much easier to teach though and now i have he spends all his time on ebay and websites about electrical stuff. Every now and then when my mum decides she wants another go, i'm summond up-stairs to turn on the computer, i keep saying "mum, you just press that big silver button" but she forgets everytime (actually spent a while pressing the tiny restart button once lol). So i log her on put her on google and leave her, only to be called back 5mins later because she's still figuring out what google is for :(
So i have to go through hundred's of google searches and url searches searching anything and everything she can think of until we come across a site with lots and lots of writing and i leave her with that, keeps her busy for quite a while
 
Broadband for beguinners

Dad, this is the Pron Pipe aka broadband... happy hunting

Mum, this is the several million/billion high street site you can buy things from


E-Mail for Beguinners

Dad, this is e-mail! that tells you that you are Overweight, need of Sexual remedies and an overseas Girlfriend half your age, speak fluent english and doesnt want your Bank details or Marriage Certificate. Or if your arent content with that a Virus that will destroy all the latter......

Mum, Half off your ex loves/ first loves will be online wanting to rekindle the first love or wanting some kind of long distance romantic webcam sexual relationship!!!! Or selling you good from Africa at an extremely good price.

Instant messengers

Dad, Its a bot, for 3 years she has been stringing you on.

Mum, Billy Bob just wants to see ya naked.

Games

Dad, hasnt your bank account told you already, you suck at it

Mum, Does not compute




End of Lecture for 45 years and above.....
 
I never said old people are bad at computers. I know lots of people 40,50,60 who are good with computers. When i worked as a BT customer services advisor i often spoke with people older, even one lady was 92!! and had broadband, and was webcamming with her grandsons in australia. My next door neighbour is in his 50s and builds pcs.

My point was concerning attitudes. My dad freely and openly admits he hates pc's and does not trust a word i say about them, because he cannot verify it with his knowledge, and PC's are unlike what he has worked with before. My mum is just scared of breaking it. She's like the other mums with phones too, never turns the durn thing on.

I'd love to have my folks know about PC's, then they'd understand when i say "i need this corner of the box room for my servers". The fact i've persevered with my dad, who is the most irritating person I have ever met normally, never mind with stress and arguments about PCs, should be an indicator of this. I have the feeling it could bring us closer as a family, if I can impart some of my wisdom. The original post states that i was happy that my dad was messing about with google and stuff (the only way to learn computers, IMO, is to dive in and experiment - with appropriate backup, info or whatever) And i shall try and teach them further, letting them have their own rein to learn independantly of me - i'll give them the basics of usage (have been doing) - usually by walking them through it, and i'm there if anything out of the ordinary happens, or they need a little extra help..

Age is NOT a barrier with computers, or anything new - but technon00bs get put off by a small minority of elitist nerdy know it all but know nothing gits (usually in pc shops) scaring them about viruses, dodgy software installs, malware, etc - most of the battle for me is getting my folks to realise, if they mess something up, it can always be fixed, and usually quite easily. Getting my dad to understand that a PC that cost £1000 8 years ago isnt going to be much use to him now, but that the, admittedly, kind of heath robinson looking pcs i've built (ghetto modder till i die :D ) Will is also a major bugbear. I'm no longer a kid myself - not old but hardly a teen. I've found out recently what it's like to be unknowing about pc stuff, without the confidence to just wade in like i always did in the past.. My original post was more a relief that dad was learning, and a giggle at the fun he was having, playing with search engine terms, something i rather take for granted, and have done for nearly a decade now

:D
 
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My dad is quite good with computers (dont know how as he never uses them through work) and now that I have a laptop he is never off it, spending a fortune on ebay and sending e-mails. Surprizing really how much he can do with one.

As for his Girlfriend, she has never used a computer before and is at the stage of "so you move this cursor and left click" :o
 
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