One can certainly kill people with a computer but ...

2009-03-25T05:18:00.000+09:00

One can certainly kill people with a computer but that is not what this is about.

Make no mistake, I've been saying this for years and people would tell me that it'll get better. People would eventually get there and know at least a little bit about the basics.

But just the day I wrote this post I made two phone calls. Both times I gave them my email address and I had to explain to both what an @-sign is and why it needs to be there. Although they hold a position in admin and are payed for it, they were mesmerized by the fact that an website address and email address look different. What???!!!

Either you live in a heavenly bubble where everybody is an expert in what they are doing, or the US has dramatically improved their overall computing skill on a national level since I've left. But from what I read in blogs around the world it seems to be a global issue.

Again, I'm not asking for everyone to becomean expert, as much as nobody asks the learner driver to become a race car driver. But it would certainly help if people get a basic idea of the operating system, how files/directories are structured, file formats are significant, how every application has similar elements, what the difference between a word processor and a calculation table is, when there is a need for data to be stored separately and structured, and why an email address needs an @-sign...

Again, this might not apply to certain employees, especially if they still work on mainframe systems that only allow them to do the things they need to do and they don't have to worry about everything else.

However, most business have switched or will switch to personal computing since they believe it'll be less expensive but unless they run dumb clients on a massive server, they will struggle with the complexity that comes with working on a PC.

I remember the days when I worked on a mainframe and hated it because I was never able to do what I wanted to do. Besides, I already programmed for many years before I had my first job, at first with no computers at all and then with a massive inflexible computing system. I applauded the move to PCs, I supported it by programming for the PC world but now that I've seen that most businesses and individuals don't seem to care too much about a proper basic education, I've had a change of heart and in the interest of more efficiency I believe mainframe system weren't that bad after all.

To come back to the car example. To me, and I know that I'm not alone – I actually know that most people are very aware of their incompetence – there are not many people that would sit in a car, having never driven before, and then head towards rush hour traffic. The sensible thing to do is to learn the basics first and let them become second nature before attempting such a task.

I know that most people would like to learn more about computers. Financial or other circumstance might refrain them from taking any action. I'm not criticizing the will but the lack of action. Ideally, it would be the employer's job to invest in training as he would be the prime beneficiary. And of course, a lot of businesses are investing in vocational training and do what they can to improve computing skills, because they have realize they are wasting a lot of money otherwise. But on a global scale, it seems, those businesses are in the vast minority.

Of course, one can't actually kill people using a ...

2009-03-25T02:18:00.000+09:00

Of course, one can't actually kill people using a computer, unlike with a car. I'm curious about what prompted this post. I rarely see people that inept anymore -- at least not showing their ineptitude in public.

Comments on Subtle Nudge: Computer License

One can certainly kill people with a computer but ...

Of course, one can't actually kill people using a ...