>>If a person uses a tool then they should maintain the tool and know how to >>use it. >> >I think you have a rather macho attitutde about the responsibilities of the >average computer user/Web surfer. I'm afraid I don't agree with Mary at all, and I do agree with Peter. I wouldn't call his attitude "macho" either. My mom has a fancy Bernina sewing machine because she sews award-winning quilts. I have a very basic Sears Kenmore, because all I do is hem pants. But when I do that (maybe once a year) I have to clean out all the dust, oil the doohickies, rethread the needle, etc. etc. just the same as my mom has to with her fancy machine. She just has more knobs and doo-dads than I have is all. But if I want to sew, I *have* to know how to do the basic maintenance or eventually THE MACHINE WON'T WORK. Knowing how to keep your machines working isn't a macho attitude at all -- those of us with sewing machines, knitting machines, souped-up vacuums, fancy food processors, and bread machines maintain our tools and know the basics of using them. (And the folks who don't maintain their tools are the ones selling the fancy toys at the Yuppie garage sale just down the street.) I think it's *very* shortsighted of all the Joe OfficeWorker folks out there to think that they DON'T have to know how to do basic stuff on their computer. I know how to change the oil on my car...and I know how to install software on my computer. It's not "tinkering" in my mind -- it's using. This doesn't mean that I want to reconfigure my hard drive, or want to rebuild my engine. But if someone else says I need a rebuilt motor for my sewing machine, I know enough to ask the right questions. And on a day to day basis, I know enough to keep everything running -- not just on my computer, but in my kitchen and in my craft room. One company I worked for had a sneaky method of getting employees to know their way around their own computer -- first day of work, you show up and there's your computer, still in its box. It's up to you to get it set up, install the software, and learn it. Tough...rather dangerous on certain networks, but a very efficient way to point out that the USER is the person who is really truly responsible for the computer -- not some systems gal in the next building over. I never looked at computers the same way again. >From that point on, it went from being this strange scary breakable foreign *thing* to being one of my tools, and to being as familiar to me as my old sewing machine. (Of course, Betsy, my sewing machine, doesn't care too much for Galadriel, my computer -- but that's another story! <wink>) --Tamra ____________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The Web Consultants Association : Register on our web site Now Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants If you lose the instructions All subscription/unsubscribing can be done directly from our website for all our lists. ---------------------------------------------------------------------
