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Re: Distribution of user skills

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Rich <rich@example.invalid> writes:

> Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 2016-12-06, RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> wrote:
>>
>>> https://www.nngroup.com/articles/computer-skill-levels/
>> 
>> [snip]
>> 
>> TBH, much of the blame comes down to the total absence of training
>> for the vast majority of computing end-users.
> 
> And, even when present, the training often amounts to little more than:
> 
>   If you put this pointy thing there, then push this button on the soap
>   bar, then slide the pointy thing down here and push this other button
>   on the soap bar, then you'll do X.

Many (a great many?) intelligent, well-educated users want exactly that
and only that, become irritated or even belligerent when anyone tries
to explain just how or why that button does X but not Y.

I have a correspondent, retired from a successful career in securities
trading, who becomes quite belligerent (or alternatively, scornful) if
I mention such geekish words as byte, format or protocol.  So I just
discard his correspondence when I don't feel like doing a bunch of
editing, decoding, reformatting, un-UTF-ing etc.  of what his computer
gratuitously adds when he hits the Send button.

I have a neighbor who can be triggered into a rant -- about how her
father could never just answer a question, had to *explain* everything
-- just by offering to explain something to her that she clearly
doesn't understand.

>> And I put that largely down to the laughable application of the term
>> "intuitive".  Yeah.  Right.
> 
> Nothing about computers is "intuitive" in the sense that someone with
> zero background can come up to speed without some help somewhere.
> 
> What GUI's provide, rather than "intuitive" interfaces, is interfaces
> that are easier to memorize for most users because they are picture
> based rather than "conversational" text based.

The command line is like language.  The GUI is like shopping.

-- 
Mike Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada

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Distribution of user skills RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2016-12-06 07:00 -0500
  Re: Distribution of user skills Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2016-12-06 12:44 +0000
    Re: Distribution of user skills Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2016-12-06 12:52 +0000
      Re: Distribution of user skills Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-12-06 10:04 -0500
      Re: Distribution of user skills Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2016-12-06 18:39 -0400
      Re: Distribution of user skills Adrian Caspersz <email@here.invalid> - 2016-12-07 11:35 +0000
  Re: Distribution of user skills Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2016-12-06 18:23 -0400
    Re: Distribution of user skills Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2016-12-06 22:26 +0000
      Re: Distribution of user skills Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2016-12-06 22:46 +0000
        Re: Distribution of user skills Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2016-12-07 03:06 -0400
          Re: Distribution of user skills Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2016-12-07 11:00 +0000
            Re: Distribution of user skills Bob Eager <news0006@eager.cx> - 2016-12-07 15:52 +0000
          Re: Distribution of user skills Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-12-07 11:57 -0500
            Re: Distribution of user skills Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2016-12-07 14:01 -0400
              Re: Distribution of user skills Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-12-07 14:53 -0500
            Re: Distribution of user skills Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2016-12-07 23:36 +0000
          Re: Distribution of user skills Jerry Peters <jerry@example.invalid> - 2016-12-07 21:13 +0000
            Re: Distribution of user skills "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2016-12-08 12:12 +0000
              Re: Distribution of user skills Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2016-12-08 12:16 +0000
      Re: Distribution of user skills Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2016-12-07 02:53 -0400
        Re: Distribution of user skills Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2016-12-07 11:05 +0000
          Re: Distribution of user skills Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2016-12-07 16:12 -0400
            Re: Distribution of user skills Bob Eager <news0006@eager.cx> - 2016-12-07 21:20 +0000
              Re: Distribution of user skills Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2016-12-08 15:02 -0400
            Re: Distribution of user skills Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2016-12-07 23:31 +0000
            Re: Distribution of user skills Kees Nuyt <k.nuyt@nospam.demon.nl> - 2016-12-08 10:42 +0100
              Re: Distribution of user skills Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2016-12-08 15:27 -0400
                Re: Distribution of user skills "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2016-12-08 21:00 +0000
                Re: Distribution of user skills Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2016-12-09 03:22 -0400
                Re: Distribution of user skills Adrian Caspersz <email@here.invalid> - 2016-12-09 09:53 +0000
                Re: Distribution of user skills Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2016-12-10 04:00 -0400
                Re: Distribution of user skills Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-12-10 22:34 -0500
  Re: Distribution of user skills Sylvia Else <sylvia@not.at.this.address> - 2016-12-07 12:52 +1100
    Re: Distribution of user skills "Andy K." <andy.k466@gmail.com> - 2016-12-07 08:26 +0100
      Re: Distribution of user skills Adrian Caspersz <email@here.invalid> - 2016-12-07 11:40 +0000
        Re: Distribution of user skills Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2016-12-07 20:32 +0000

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