On 1999-05-30 [EMAIL PROTECTED] <Boanne> said:
>Where did the idea that computers should be "easy" come from in
>the first place? Where did the idea that Win3.xx or Win9x is
>"easy to learn" come from? Isn't all learning the same to
>begin with, including computers? Whether you decide to learn
>Chinese cooking or computers (Win9x or DOS), aren't you facing
>the unknown in both cases, or at least something unknown to you?
>Isn't that the very nature of learning itself? Isn't the real
>task bringing the "unknown" into the "known"?
Marketers. They know all too well that one of the easiest and most
pleasurable things to do is spend money on something desirable. Do you
recall the "learning curve" sales pitch strategy used to sell an OS back in
the late '80s (when the common three desktop computer choices were: DOS,
Windows, or Mac)? DOS took longest to learn, according to some analysts,
and the Mac was the most user-friendly and took the least amount of time.
DOS users countered that by saying, "real men use DOS", etc..
With the excuse that they were doing us a "favor" by making the computer
popular and easy to use, certain marketers have created distorted
expectations for new computer users: easier, more colorful (3D), more
pleasant sounding, faster and bigger is "better", and "understanding
computers" is for nerds.
Once the personal computer boom is over, perhaps, the "art" of their proper
understanding and application will mature more appropriately. Before then,
though, I look for serious changes in the attitude and direction of the
computer industry. A change for better learning habits won't occur
until then.
The closest movement in the right direction, so far as I can tell, is the
open software movement demonstrated through the development of Linux. And
when more people become interested in it, and they start to make it easier
and easier to use for the average individual, guess what we might start to
see? Well, what was the OS outgrowth that resulted from the UNIX years...?
I think you know. Full circle...? ;-)
Jerry
Internet Montana
-*- Teach others how to think, not to mimic!
Net-Tamer V 1.11.2 - Registered
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