[arachne] Re: new book: "Why Software Sucks ... And What You Can Do About It."

Arachne at FreeLists---The Arachne Fan Club!

Hi Sam,
                 You are right in all you've said and there's
more. From my experience, most of those people
that you describe, don't want to read the manuals
to learn anything and even if they read the manuals
they probably wouldn't learn much. That's why "story
problems" in math are harder for students. Most 
people don't apply rational thinking to their everyday
life. Turning a light switch on and off is all they really
want to know about electricity. They don't care how
the light switch works, either mechanically or electrically.
They know if the lights are off then if they flip the switch
the lights should turn on....or ....if the light is on then if
they flip the switch, the light should turn off.  And that is
the way Windows works. It gives you a bunch of switchs
to turn on or off and requires you to remember the 
sequences by rote memory. There is very little ryhme nor
reason involved....AND...that's also the way the manuals
and help are basically written. How Windows works is a
big secret that has to be guarded.  So most people who
use Windows seriously take courses that teach them
by demonstration to learn by rote memory the proper
mouse clicks to accompish their tasks.  "Mousing
around" as you described it, is just a process of learning
by rote memory.  Do you think Donald Trump cares how
his computer works? He may want to know how to send
an e-mail but not much more. He'd rather hire someone
to do most of his e-mailing for him. AND...speaking of
"The Donald"....those same people who admire him
also admire W. Gates. Their admirers think that they
are just good, shrewd business people. There is nothing
wrong with their methods or tactics...it's just shrewed
business.

Eric     

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 15:50:18 -0500 (EST) ewalt@xxxxxxxx writes:
> Arachne at FreeLists---The Arachne Fan Club!
> 
> Most of the people I know who use Windows to access the internet 
> have had
> little or no training in computer usage and operate mostly by the 
> "seat
> of their pants"--meaning they sat down in front of their computers 
> and
> just did the best they could, asking their friends for hints and 
> help and
> just "moused around" until something happened. They don't read 
> manuals or
> documentation very much--although some do, a little.
> 
> All of these people hated DOS and gave up using it at the earliest
> opportunity, perhaps avoiding computers altogether until the advent
> of Windows made it possible for "ordainary people to use computers".
> I put that in quotes because many people have told me exactly that.
> They seem shocked when I tell them that Bill Gates is a scoundrel 
> and
> a thief who never had an original idea except how to get paid for
> other peoples work.
> 
> 
> Eric S. Emerson said:
> > Arachne at FreeLists---The Arachne Fan Club!
> >
> > Hi L.D.,
> >                 I have been in several very heated debates
> > over this very subject.  Some developers are more
> > worried about whether they are repeating themselves
> > and/or about assuming what the user "ought to know"
> > before he runs "their" program than making sure that
> > the directions are in terms easily understood by the
> > user who has little computer interest/orientation. Some
> > programs are intended for "computer geeks" and others
> > are intended for those with minimal to no computer
> > training.  IMHO, an internet browser is intended for users
> > who have minimal computer knowledge as well as for
> > users who are "computer geeks".  However, it is the "geeks"
> > who develop the program and find the necessary warnings
> > and nomenclature necessary for the "newbie" to be
> > redundant and a PITA. Therefore, those things necessary
> > for the "newbie" get ignored in favor of some other
> > development that the developer finds more challenging.
> >
> > Eric
> >

                  Arachne at FreeLists                  
-- Arachne, The Premier GPL Web Browser/Suite for DOS --

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