Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you • Hacker News Board

Re: Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you

#11

Post by jiggy2011 » Fri, Aug 09, 2013, 5:11 PM UTC

I don't know if it was necessarily any better when computers were "new", most kids in the 90s knew how to plug in a SNES cartridge and maybe launch a few games from DOS but the oft required "boot disks" were still a mystery to most.

Computers were much simpler then in terms of there being fewer moving parts in the software. Modern computers might be "friendlier" in some sense, but that's only because we have had to build grand abstractions out of necessity. Once these abstractions break down it can be often difficult for even relatively tech savvy people to understand what is wrong.

Re: Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you

#12

Post by badman_ting » Fri, Aug 09, 2013, 5:13 PM UTC

Phargo wrote: post #6

Wow... "TL;DR? Why not just go watch another five second video of a kitten with it’s head in a toilet roll, or a 140 character description of a meal your friend just stuffed in their mouth. “num num”. This blog post is not for you." Snarky enough? If you start out like that I've already made the decision that you're over opinionated and probably prone to dramatic exaggeration.

I have noticed most of the comments are harping on this. Too bad. (Not that I disagree.)

Re: Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you

#13

Post by codegeek » Fri, Aug 09, 2013, 5:14 PM UTC

ethanbond wrote: post #2

So I take it the author can fix any brand of car and would, without missing a beat, answer questions like "where's the expansion tank?" I'm so tired of "tech savvy" people simultaneously sitting on their high chairs and large salaries dissuading anything that makes their trade less esoteric - and then talking down to those who can't pierce the veil for whatever reason (whether it by financial, intellectual, or just n…

You are being a little harsh in my opinion. The author actually helped that teacher who had no clue about how to connect to the WIFI. Fair enough that not everyone needs to know but the point the author is making that kids don't know computers as well but they should. In fact, the other teacher was the one who had a very ignorant (even though common) comment about "oh well kids these days are super genious in computers "(paraphrasing)

Re: Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you

#14

Post by venomsnake » Fri, Aug 09, 2013, 5:18 PM UTC

codegeek wrote: post #9

"the problem is usually the interface between the chair and the keyboard." Loved reading this. Well said [1]. I am sure this post resonates a lot with many of us. I remember a joke where someone calls the tech support of a computer company and it goes like this: Person: "My computer does not turn on". Tech. guy: "Whats the problem. Did you press the ON switch? " Person: "Yes of course. I pressed it twice already" [1]…

It is called ID-10-T Error in my circles.

Re: Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you

#15

Post by sarutahiko » Fri, Aug 09, 2013, 5:20 PM UTC

ethanbond wrote: post #2

So I take it the author can fix any brand of car and would, without missing a beat, answer questions like "where's the expansion tank?" I'm so tired of "tech savvy" people simultaneously sitting on their high chairs and large salaries dissuading anything that makes their trade less esoteric - and then talking down to those who can't pierce the veil for whatever reason (whether it by financial, intellectual, or just n…

So I take it you don't generally read articles before commenting on them?

From the end of his post:

"A hundred years ago, if you were lucky enough to own a car then you probably knew how to fix it. People could at least change the oil, change the tyres, or even give the engine a tune-up. I’ve owned a car for most of my adult life and they’re a mystery to me. As such I am dependent on salesmen to tell me which one to buy, mechanics to tell me what’s wrong and then fix it for me and as technology progresses I am becoming dependent on satellite navigation as well."

Good job. (y)

Re: Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you

#16

Post by gcb0 » Fri, Aug 09, 2013, 5:22 PM UTC

This is one reason I'm against the current GUI trend in Linux. By copying Apple and Microsoft blatantly, they forgot that when using the command line that they are replacing user must first understand the concept of what they are doing.

Most guis i contributed to opensource have at least the console output so the user is not 100% oblivious to the concepts that are happening underneath.

Re: Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you

#17

Post by jff » Fri, Aug 09, 2013, 5:22 PM UTC

ethanbond wrote: post #2

So I take it the author can fix any brand of car and would, without missing a beat, answer questions like "where's the expansion tank?" I'm so tired of "tech savvy" people simultaneously sitting on their high chairs and large salaries dissuading anything that makes their trade less esoteric - and then talking down to those who can't pierce the veil for whatever reason (whether it by financial, intellectual, or just n…

Everyone should learn how to change the oil in their car, though.

Re: Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you

#18

Post by venomsnake » Fri, Aug 09, 2013, 5:23 PM UTC

ethanbond wrote: post #2

So I take it the author can fix any brand of car and would, without missing a beat, answer questions like "where's the expansion tank?" I'm so tired of "tech savvy" people simultaneously sitting on their high chairs and large salaries dissuading anything that makes their trade less esoteric - and then talking down to those who can't pierce the veil for whatever reason (whether it by financial, intellectual, or just n…

If it does not have ECU or diesel pump I could fix pretty much everything else and bring the car in movable condition. You just need to obtain some manuals and a screwdriver. And I am not car enthusiast.

The problem is that the computing devices are moving to be the center of people lives. You must know how something works just to be able to protect yourself.

Re: Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you

#19

Post by georgemcbay » Fri, Aug 09, 2013, 5:23 PM UTC

codegeek wrote: post #9

"the problem is usually the interface between the chair and the keyboard." Loved reading this. Well said [1]. I am sure this post resonates a lot with many of us. I remember a joke where someone calls the tech support of a computer company and it goes like this: Person: "My computer does not turn on". Tech. guy: "Whats the problem. Did you press the ON switch? " Person: "Yes of course. I pressed it twice already" [1]…

"Loved reading this. Well said."

Not to take too much away from the article, but this is a slight variation on a saying old enough that it has an "AFAICT" style Usenet-era acronym:

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/PEBCAK

Re: Kids can't use computers, and why it should worry you

#20

Post by cliveowen » Fri, Aug 09, 2013, 5:24 PM UTC

Kids know how to use computers, they know how to make them do what they need them to: browsing, email, some text-processing. Everything else, and I'm sorry to break it to you, it's the realm of technicians. The plumbers don't expect the average joe to know how to unblock an occluded pipe, do they? Expecting everyone to know how to configure advanced settings in a computer just because you know how to do it it's very condescending on your part.