Among the few things I'm proud of in my life, not having had contact with Windows when I first "met" a computer is somewhere around the top. Indeed, the first computer I used ran Unix, and I have been using Unices myself for some time.
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Member since:2006-02-26
Yes, it is a shame that you don't have to write a bash/awk/sed script to run your TV/VCR/DVD/Microwave.
Not a very good analogy, unless you're TV/VCR etc happens to have precisely the same functionality as your computer, as well as liability. Not that they asked for this level of CLI interaction. They just said that it shouldn't be 'just point and click' without expectation to spend time learning how the system works. A perfectly reasonable comment. Why did my phone come with more literature than my laptop?
Deep down they're laughing at geeks who don't have the ability to understand that most people think of a computer as a tool, and nothing more.
and what's wrong with expecting people to learn how to use their tools safely and efficiently? To risk misrepresenting you as much as you're misrepresenting the person to whom that was addressed: should we be let free on the roads in cars without lessons or supervision?
Edited 2006-10-23 17:03
Member since:2005-06-29
You're exaggerating every argument anyone makes. They say reading the manual is great and everyone should do it because it aids learning.
Then you say that people shouldn't have to use awk/sed: Where did that come from? Graphics designers likely read the manual or take a class to become proficient with a program like photoshop, is that a bad thing? Or is it beneficial that they learn the power of the program by having someone tell them; instead of hacking it out like they're writing a missing manual.
It seems to me you're setting up a straw man.
Member since:
2005-07-06
How does reading the manual != learning on your own?
I'm not sure, but most people seem to think that computers need to be simpler than toasters and that a chimpanzee should be able to use one.
Learning how to use a computer to it's fullest potential is frowned upon, because it shatters the myth that pointing and clicking is more than enough to reach that potential.
People don't like to be outclassed, but geeks show them otherwise. Deep down they hate the geeky kid who cleans up after their malware infected mess. They know they can't get by with just clicking and that they are dependent on the ones who know more than just click.
So any signs of elevated skill level will bring out hostility.