TMG-L Archives
Archiver > TMG > 2009-03 > 1237932383
From: <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] TMG on a Netbook?
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:06:23 -0700
References: <bbe.456392a8.36ee895a@aol.com><4A3205B51C5D495594152C0B30EC762E@CharlieXX><455F701FCA86449BA7E2AF16258D12E3@CharlieXX><00ca01c9abd5$f632adf0$e29809d0$@com><4F12829C0FFA454581AA7F3EE150243D@CharlieXX><01fe01c9ac45$62836930$278a3b90$@com><6.2.3.4.2.20090323234334.039be240@mail.earthlink.net><007601c9ac92$6c3b0620$44b11260$@com><E2F55FEC0B49481CB326424CEC163906@CharlieXX><200903241635.n2OGZYGl029516@mail.rootsweb.com>
List: This a "me too", but I seldom indulge so a little slack plz.
As an concrete example of one of Lee's characterizations (really older, & late in to
computers) his comments are so *on-target* it's scary :-).
On the subject of this string, Drives/Partitions/Paths, I have searched for
tutorials on Windows Explorer for several years, and never found one that discussed
anything more than Cut/Paste or Drag/Drop. I now have those mastered, but the
overall Tree organization is frequently still frustrating. A dominant folder in this
position is a subordinate folder in another position. Who's on first ??
Ending with this global thinking: :-) If the computer industry would respond to
Mr. Hoffmans comments they'd have a much more literate user univese on their hands.
Joe Lake
Lee Hoffman wrote (below line):
> Jim Byram wrote:
>>The locations for the operating system data paths such as Documents have
>>always customizable so while Windows has default paths, many can be changed
>>as you wish. WinVista improved this considerably allowing many more paths to
>>be customized. Standardizing the os documents path to D:\User_data\Documents
>>for all operating systems (WinXP, WinVista, Win7) allows me to have much
>>better control over the user data for all programs.
=====================================================================
>
> Yes, but the average user does not realize this. Windows is designed
> for a computer with once hard drive (as the C:\ drive). So if the
> user does happen to have a system with multiple drives, he/she must
> first know that changes can be made and second how to make the
> changes. For many users, finding a single file in other than the
> usual place is very difficult. Witness the fact that we get many
> questions here like "where is my report". Many of them are opening
> their word processor (which defaults to My Documents) and don't
> realize that the report output from TMG (or some other program) could
> be to a different folder. Since they don't realize this, how can
> they be expected to know that folder location can be customized much
> less how to do it?
>
> I have been accused of considering the average computer user to be of
> low intelligence. I do not. Computers are very complex and, in many
> ways, very complicated machines. The average user having no
> experience is truthfully nothing more than "monkey see, monkey do"
> when they first get a system and must be led by the hand for each and
> every step. Again witness the questions posted here that include the
> admonition to tell them how to do something "in baby steps".
>
> Many (most?) TMG users are probably at least 40 years old plus. A
> lot at well into their 70s and 80s. Some have had experience with
> computers before, but many are just getting into computer late in
> life. They do not have the advantage of growing up with computer
> like kid today.
>
> Microsoft (and many others) attempt to make the user experience
> easy. In many ways, they have succeeded. But in many ways, they
> have failed. Part of the problem is that unlike the operating
> systems of 50 years ago where there were only thousands of computers
> which had pretty much the same configuration, the modern Operating
> System has to operate on literally millions of computers with
> thousands of configurations owned by people having no experience to a
> lot of experience.
>
> The solution to the problem? I don't know, but more attention needs
> to be paid to the way an in-experienced person handles a computer.
>
> Lee Hoffman/KY
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