Greetings. On Thu, 12 May 2016 19:59:18 +0200 Rubén Llorente <port...@use.startmail.com> wrote: > hiro <23h...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> of the easy to use software. The only way a computer-illiterate is going > >> to be able to use a computer properly is by educating herself or by > >> hiring somebody to do the administration. > > > > I disagree about that part. > > My "literate" computer usage is nothing i'm very proud of. I regret it even. > > > > Let's break it down to logic. > > If a user does not know how to use a complex tool, he is not able > to use it properly (1) > > The only way to know how to use a complex tool is by learning how > to use it (2) > > Computers are complex tools. Therefore, if you don't know how to use > it, you won't be able to use it properly and the only way to use it is > by learing how to use it. > > Any claims that somebody without prior knowledge of computers can use > one properly without any education on the matter is only valid if you > think (1) is invalid or that computers are not complex tools. Since > negating any of those points is an absurd, then any claim that > somebody without knownledge of the field can use the computer is an > absurd too. > > The reason many people does not regard activities performed with > computers as "complex" in the modern age is because they have been > exposed to them long enough to learn how to use them up to some point. > It is worth noticing that people with actually zero exposition to > computers - like old people in rural isolated areas - is not able to > create an email account or launch a preinstalled game without a great > effort (which counts as learning experience).
There are different kind of users, which everyone has to pick his/her role. First there’s the inexperienced users, which can form into stub‐ born isolationists or open‐minded learners. Second you have profession‐ als, which have stubborn and open‐minded learners and third there’s the stubborn and open‐minded wizards. In all of the categories can be revo‐ lutioners. How can the software world be changed to the better? Depending on the level you are at, think of how you get people to be open‐minded learn‐ ers. This is best done by being pragmatic and practical: A button labeld »shutdown« should shutdown a computer, some office application should not offer stupid cloud storage, it should save my documents in a simple folder, as I know it from the furniture around the computer and when I install new hardware in a computer it shouldn’t brag me about some li‐ cense key. When your environment feels »nicer«, is friendly and simply works, peo‐ ple will ask how you did this and join. Of course, don’t forget the art of propaganda. Conclusion: If you can’t make your own life suck less, don’t try to make the world suck less. Have fun. Sincerely, Christoph Lohmann
