Teaching parents the net..

Skree

Skree

Skree

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The greatest mistake anyone can make!!!!

lol... We've just got our wireless net working, and i've given my folks an old Sony Vaio Duron 1ghz lappy.. My mum's done college courses in basic IT n stuff so she's ok but a little slow. She at least listens.. lol

Me dad did a Informatics course back in the late 80s, on programming language and stuff, but hasn't used a computer since, and thought he was going to jump straight into using windows XP, the net etc. The typical arguments ensued, he wouldnt listen. We've had screaming arguments for weeks, the pc nearly went through the window, at each others throats, because he wont listen, knows nothing, and blames the expert.

I've persevered with it though, and he's had a few goes, and success breeds success. He's having fun with it at this very minute, googling terms like "scrotie bloatie" and "show us tha blert" - It's like a kid with a new toy.. quite cute, really..

He's coming on pretty well, but he was like "yo alex i'm almost as good as you now" - which made me laugh hysterically.. both my folks are still at the one finger typing stage and the "WOW i cant believe theyve got this" stage

I'm going to teach them all about using computers, but i think i'll stop at that, no hardware teachy, that's when their mental block comes in - he went CRAZY one time...

"what's that big box with pipes next to your computer"
"oh that's my processor cooler"
"there's WATER IN THOSE PIPES!!!!"
"Yep"
"AAAAAAAAAAARGH"

lol.... :D "you're using WATER to cool an electrical device?!?!?!1onetwothree!!?eleven!!sixty-four!!!"

:D
 
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Skree said:
"what's that big box with pipes next to your computer"
"oh that's my processor cooler"
"there's WATER IN THOSE PIPES!!!!"
"Yep"
"AAAAAAAAAAARGH"

lol.... :D "you're using WATER to cool an electrical device?!?!?!1onetwothree!!?eleven!!sixty-four!!!"

:D
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I get similar reactions from most family members :p
 
platypus said:
This is why people over 30 should not be allowed near computers.
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OI!!!! Watch the over 30 remarks!!! We used to use ZX81's before you were an itch in your parents crotch!!

over 50's then yeah I quite agree. Dont know how many times I've been summoned to my mums house to fix her computer as she cant get any emails (she couldnt remember which icon was Outlook Express!!)
 
Skree said:
The greatest mistake anyone can make!!!!

"what's that big box with pipes next to your computer"
"oh that's my processor cooler"
"there's WATER IN THOSE PIPES!!!!"
"Yep"
"AAAAAAAAAAARGH"

lol.... :D "you're using WATER to cool an electrical device?!?!?!1onetwothree!!?eleven!!sixty-four!!!":D
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Roffles! Lol at the exclamation marks hehe.

My mom has to be the best;

Mom -"My laptop is faster than yours you should have paid more money for and got a better one"
Me -"no, the internet is just slower here, plus the box is far away from where we are [the garden]"
Mom -"My laptop is faster than yours you should have paid more money for it"
Me :(
 
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my folks are 55+.

I'm only 25 but i used spectrums back in the day, to my own frustration. PCs are wonderful in comparison :D
 
Part of the problem i think is that i just know too much about pc's. I find it difficult to talk on an elementary level, I've got skills with pcs.. like.. back in the day UBERClocking watercooled pc's, even had w/cooling in the days of Pentium 2.. wasn't necessary for P1's, they could usually reach their clock celing without going past air cooling.

My parents need to know about favourites, cookies, auto updates and firewalls, whereas i'm thinking Vcore, tRas, VDDR, GDDR. :D

I kinda know how they feel though, i'm just back online after 2 years absence, and i feel a bit lost with new hardware.. but i'm learning fast. I've learned the basic nuances of wireless now.. its cool how i've learned fast.

Should be able to help the crumblies to get.. at least to an experienced, if not advanced user level. The day my dad changes a CPU is the day satan gets a job as a snowblower. My mum did some pc hardware at saturday courses, but isnt confident enough to change an optical drive...

Should i teach em hardware? :eek:
 
BigB@dJ@y said:
OI!!!! Watch the over 30 remarks!!! We used to use ZX81's before you were an itch in your parents crotch!!

over 50's then yeah I quite agree. Dont know how many times I've been summoned to my mums house to fix her computer as she cant get any emails (she couldnt remember which icon was Outlook Express!!)
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You're wrong with over 50's too tbh.

My dad has been in IT since he left college, he's now 56 and easily knows more than most of the people on here.

Doesn't know a huge amount about hardware (bar putting it together and installing drivers) though.
 
My mum's ok with it. She's quite happy pooting around on her laptop. My dad however sits there for half an hour swearing at the keyboard when he tries to type an email. I can't wait until we sell his computer so he can go back to the stone age. :p
 
i was going to give my mum a computer a while back.

then i had this urge not too.

i think the urge was based on self preservation.

if i ever emigrate , i will drop one of before i leave.
 
Skree said:
my folks are 55+.

I'm only 25 but i used spectrums back in the day, to my own frustration. PCs are wonderful in comparison :D
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I get all nostalgic thinking about using my old CPC464 (which still works). So many hours used up writing BASIC programs/graphics demos and playing Harrier Attack...
 
Dogoid said:
i was going to give my mum a computer a while back.

then i had this urge not too.

i think the urge was based on self preservation.

if i ever emigrate , i will drop one of before i leave.
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that's the right thinking lol.
 
its painful watching my dad trying to use a computer. he's in his low 60's and doesnt have a clue.

watching him trying to type is so frustrating. i dont think he grasped what "QWERTY" was or cant seem to learn the key locations which ensues in about a 5-10second pause each time he pressed a key/buttom.

typing out a URL or search is RGGRGRGRGGRGRRRGE
 
paradigm said:
You're wrong with over 50's too tbh.

My dad has been in IT since he left college, he's now 56 and easily knows more than most of the people on here.

Doesn't know a huge amount about hardware (bar putting it together and installing drivers) though.
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Same as my step-dad only he's 61 and knows a hell of a lot about openview among other things ive never even heard of, currently working at abbey (remember all there cash points going down?, well he helped sort it out for them) and has worked for some of the largest companys in europe.
Just dont ask him about home computers.
 
Skree said:
"what's that big box with pipes next to your computer"
"oh that's my processor cooler"
"there's WATER IN THOSE PIPES!!!!"
"Yep"
"AAAAAAAAAAARGH"

lol.... "you're using WATER to cool an electrical device?!?!?!1onetwothree!!?eleven!!sixty-four!!!"
Click to expand...

Ah, so I'm not the only one :p

had a friend around a few weeks back, the first thing she noticed when she walked into my room was 2 computers with watercooling. Cue 15 mins of me explaining how it works and why I have it, which was answered with:

'but...but...water...computer...electricity...why?'

:D
 
My next door neighbours who are about 70 were awful when they first got a computer, and they bought it because they wanted to book holidays online! oh my...

So I go round to teach them and they know how to open up internet explorer and they have google as their homepage, and here's where they put their glasses on and go "File, edit, view, favourites, tools, help, address http://www.google.co.uk, google, web, images, news, maps new, products, groups, scholar, more, ahhh!!! here's where we type in!"

*groan* and every new page they used to read it right from the very top. I am not even joking, but they're fine with it after persistence, and they've written down what to do in a little book by the pc if they ever forget like "click twice with left button on outlook express picture" lol :p
 
i get nostalgic about old games on speccys and amigas, like... Mortal Kombat, Gauntlet, Nomad, The Wild Bunch, Super Off Road, Stunt Car Racer, and the Brutal Sports series... but the machines themselves no. I spent many hours screaming after spending 45min putting in a "poke" - that's a cheat code, for you n00bie youngsters, then loading a tape for 45 min... all to get a screen made up entirely of artifacts.. or nothing at all.

and the old amiga games where you'd get ONE SINGLE LEVEL then have to change discs 4 times... then one more level :mad:


A Gem of aged quotes: "Where's the DAMN ANY KEY!?!?!?!1!!111!!!seventy-three!!!!!"
 
Yet my grandma is in her 90's and buys shopping and christmas presents on the net. Even get electronic birthday cards from her.

She loves it. Thinks it's fantastic.

She can't quite figure out digital cameras or mobile phones though. :D

Simon/~Flibster
 
My dad can build a PC and get it working first time, setup the BIOS providing he knows what he is working with and get to the point where the word Windows Install is and then he just blacks out.

He has seen me build hundreds of the things and he can do a very good job of putting them together.

He can not email.
He can not use the internet very well.
He can not format things in word.
He types with one finger.

He can build any system up till Socket A with ease.
He can configure a BIOS correctly first time, almost every time.
He can overclock Thunderbirds and Spitfires. :cool:
 
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