At 06:01 PM 2/5/01 +0000, you wrote:
>The least question to ask here is, does the (alsway "dumb/newbie" ?)
>user get a real/realistic chance to "learn" ?
>And connected with this: is there any effort/incentive done to make
>him/her "learn" ?
>I dare say that the effort just goes towards the opposite, i.e. to make
>her/him believe he needs not bother any tiring effort to "learn"
>(understand: unpleasant, complicated "work"). Which is very much the
>dominant trend of programming for use of "consumers".
Yes, and it is the only way to get the vast majority of users, especially
the mature ones, using the web.
In the first place, the common man is remarkably stupid. Not in a bad way,
but in a normal way. Stupid by contrast with those of us gifted with the
ability to learn new tricks. I cannot stress that enough. It is not just
work for him to learn, but often beyond his skills if the learning is not
portioned out very carefully. I teach introductory computer use as a
sideline and I am always reminded when I begin of how raw is raw. They
cannot even visually comprehend the layout of the GUI in most cases, the
sections and so forth, being used to seeing the screen in a television
format. Their understanding of the mouse and it's use also. It is very
exhausting for them and the only way they will stay at it is if they get
immediate results from their software. A letter successfully sent, however
clumsily, or recieved, is usually the first "hook" to internet use. The
browser takes awhile to affect them because it is compared, again, to the
television which thus far has met all their information needs
effectively. it is not for information that users turn to computers, but
for enhanced and affordable communication with distant loved ones.
The microsoft system as I've seen it in action with raw new users, is thus
far the second most effective system for these people to use. The most
effective has been the macintosh, although the difference is negligable.
DOS and other CLIs, when introduced are rejected by all but the most
motivated and determined new user.
No, I am not paid my microsoft, nor do I agree with their business tactics,
but given the task they set out to accomplish, I think they've accomplished
it, that of getting ordinary suburbanites buying and using computers. If
you can do a better job of that, I beg you to begin without haste because
competition is the cornerstone of improvement.
bye,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,(\
Yolanda ,,,A+,,,,,,\\_/(\
UIN 4898262,,,,,,,,,Q Q \)
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, =(_T_)=
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