Topic: The world of computer illiteracy...

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

Wow.
   I thought I was adequate at running my computer.  I knew how to turn it on and surf the web, although very limited in my skills.  Then, I found this site.
   WillWeasel first enlightened me to the world of computer speak.  He started naming off what I would need for a system he is going to build for me, and I thought that he spoke a foreign language.
   Then I realized he did.  It is called computerese.
   I was taught that hard drives are different, and a forty gig from one manufacturer is better than having a sixty gig from another, and that RAM actually matters.
   Now, I am loading the Star Trek game up so I can begin playing it, and just spent about thirty odd minutes simply staring at the screen, realizing that this is NOT my PS2.
   I can't simply insert a disc, wait for the loading screen, then go blow things up.
   I now know that computer literacy doesn't mean being able to spell computer.
   Fortunately, this Sunday he and I are hooking up online through MSN so he can guide me through the process.
   Hopefully, I'll be getting Photon enema's by lunch Sunday.
   Equally hopeful, I'll get the hang of it.  I haven't played a keyboard game since Wizardry was released.  Over two decades ago.
   Seems that computer systems have came a looooooong way since then.
   Ah well.
   I'll either get it running and have fun, or hang myself from the ceiling like a stunt double for a pinata.

[Iceman]

You'll be fine, really. Learning (or re-learning) how a computer works and functions takes time. Especially in a non-professional setting, its very much trial and error. Thats how I learned.

[Core]

thats how we all learn

[Dash Jones]

Wizardry?  You haven't played computer games since Wizardry!?

Computers are easy to learn how to use, and aren't half as restrictive as a PS2!  You'll be able to do everything you want soon, and be amazed at how limited the consoles were!

[Core]

limiting is the understatmet of the age

[Just plain old Punisher]

Eh, I know alot about computers. But when it comes to auto-repair work I'm incompetent. I've managed to replace my cars air filter and wind-shield wiper blades.

I honestly think auto repair is much more usefull than computer repair. Seems the auto tech's screw you over a whole lot more than the computer techs.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

That and it's kind of hard to outsource a grease monkey.
   Yes, Wizardry on the old monochrome apple II monitor, which was cutting edge when it came out.  I'll get it, but I am going to be patient.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

Well, I am learning slowly but surely.  Finally played a real computer game, Orion Pirates, and had a blast.  Of course, I also realize that I have a long way to go.  WillWeasel has been a big help, MSNing me and helping me get it all together.  I started the day  and slowly, got the hang of it.  Of course, doing all the downloads while  made it a lot easier than simply  .   I realize I have a looong way to go, but I think I may actually get the hang of this.  Once I get used to all the BUTTONS!!!

[Clark Kent]

Personally, I feel like learning a computer these days is harder than (say) 10 years ago.  Back then information seemed free and easily shared.  I learned everything I needed to do just about anything I wanted to quickly and easily on both macs and PCs.
Then I took a mandatory break around 1999 for a few years, and things changed alot.  Now the only place I can find learning assistance for PCs is here.  These days, My biggest weakness is in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the various processors, and who to buy from.
On the mac side, there are more places for me to get information from, but still, not as many as there seemed to be, and people aren't as patient or helpful as they once were. 
Knowledge of computers seems to almost be a monetary asset these days, and you know how tight people can be with money.

[Dash Jones]

Wow, you're telling the truth about that!

I looked at the computers made in the early nineties, and to tell the truth, I think back then I would have gotten a Mac and stayed with it.  With all the different types of systems, and the way you had to type in commands and such, and DIDN'T even have a mouse! I don't think I could really have gotten into computers like I have.  If I was around back then before the age of Microsoft, or Macintosh, I think I probably would just have decided computers were more hassle than they were worth.

Of course that's my perspective of looking at what you guys had to use back then, but I look at some of the stuff now and it's like looking at a foreign language!

Of course it's only been in the past year maybe year and a half that I started finding the charm of older games made in the mid 90's and even some games from the early nineties.  On the otherhand, on WinXP most of them don't seem to work without aid...I can only seem to get most of them to run on a Win98 or WinME machine!

I think computers are easier to use now days.

Just my two prestige points.

[Clark Kent]

In the 90s There were macs, running on a similar (read MS pirated it into their own system) OS to Windows 95-XP.  Then, finally, in 1996, MS released windows 95 (am i the only one that thinks that kinda messed up?) and DOS finally began to take a back seat (but it was only a beginning).
So it was a much more difficult world overall in the PC world, with learning DOS and all.  Of course, it was much easier than people made it out to be.  At least for the basic uses.

[Capt. Mike]

Youse guys.....

At work, I have a UNIX  network system that was installed in '89, I manage it, with it's screaming 16 MHz 386 processor, and 4 meg of ram...2 386/25 MHz DOS controllers used to calibrate equipment, a 486 Win 95 machine used for vibration pickups and accelerometers, 2 PII Win 2000 systems used for phase noise and test station calibratiions, a PIII laptop for calibrating spectrum analyzers, and a PIII network the information management peeps screwed up by "upgrading" to XP...and I have to keep all this going, and still do my normal job of calibrating test equipment....all this 'cause I let someone know I could spell computer 

Well, if you stop learning, you grow old....

Mike

[Sarek]

In the 90s There were macs, running on a similar (read MS pirated it into their own system) OS to Windows 95-XP.  Then, finally, in 1996, MS released windows 95 (am i the only one that thinks that kinda messed up?) and DOS finally began to take a back seat (but it was only a beginning).
So it was a much more difficult world overall in the PC world, with learning DOS and all.  Of course, it was much easier than people made it out to be.  At least for the basic uses.

Yeah, how do you print out a directory listing these days? 

[IAF Lyrkiller]

I have been playing w/ computer since '80. In '82, my parents bought me a C-64. i tried to program in BASIC, and was real bad at it.
It was not until '94 that i bought my first PC, and you can guess what it had as an OS. DOS. I got so good in DOS i did not want to switch to Win95.
BTW, i loaded PCDOS on my dads old laptop and works just fine.

Those were the days...

[Nemesis]

Yeah, how do you print out a directory listing these days? 

Open command line shell.  Change to appropriate directory.  Type dir.  Highlight section with mouse .  Hit <Control>C (highlighting will clear).  Open editor hit <Shift>Insert.  Text of directory will be pasted into editor.  Print or edit as a normal document.

Works under Win2KPro.

[TheJudge]

Hmmm...my first work on computers was an old TSR-80.  That was back in the very early 1980's.  I remember a neighbor farmer had one of those machines and a game called something like "Flight of the Valkeryies".  It was all ascii imagery, black and green, but it was enough to keep me hooked for hours upon hours at a time.  Then I bought a 286 in 90, and it was just as powerful as many of the computers on board ship (I brought it on board and had it in our office to do word processing and play games).  I even got into a contest with the C.O. of the ship on the Harpoon computer game, and kicked his butt. 

I didn't have a computer between 1997 and 2002, and was very surprised at the differences between the P2 550 I bought then, and the P75 I had back in '95.  Then the differences between those and the 286/386/486 and so on.  Like many others, I resisted the switch to windows 95 because I was so used to DOS.  Also, I made one of the most stupid comments of my life in 1993:

"This world wide web thing won't ever catch on..."

Of course that was after sitting there downloading one single page over the course of an hour through a 4800 baud modem when I was use to much faster speeds through gopher and telnet.  Then the 14.4 modems came out and I rethought that idea...and relunctantly gave up using gopher as my preferred method of accessing the net.  I will also admit that it wasn't until 1996 that my old military internet account from 1989 was deleted.  I was able to access that account and some things with it that I shouldn't have been able to do until then.  Not that I ever actually did that...

[KBF-WillWeasel]

Well, I am learning slowly but surely.  Finally played a real computer game, Orion Pirates, and had a blast.  Of course, I also realize that I have a long way to go.  WillWeasel has been a big help, MSNing me and helping me get it all together.  I started the day  and slowly, got the hang of it.  Of course, doing all the downloads while  made it a lot easier than simply  .   I realize I have a looong way to go, but I think I may actually get the hang of this.  Once I get used to all the BUTTONS!!!

Well I know one thing, we are going to have to fix yer game shortcut to start in "C:\Program Files\Taldren Software Inc\Starfleet Command Orion Pirates". Could not drop fighters or shuttles otherwise, thats why ya crashed that last time out.

O well we'll get to that later.

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

Well, hopefully next weekend I'll have my system up and running properly, and be able to play OP without constantly crashing.  Seems my motherboard doesn't have enough memory, so I am adding 256k to it and a new, faster hard drive.  Well, WillWeasel is.  Personally, I have a vague idea what he is going to do, so I am happy about that.
   I do find the game to be fun and interesting, but I also see that there is a lot to learn on it.  Like where all the buttons are for the Klingon things.

[manitoba1073]

hell the first pc i played around with was when radio shack sold the TRS-80's lol  its not hard to figure things out.

[Commander Maxillius]

I've got a TRS-80 as well, but I've gutted it and am in the (slow) process of sticking modern components in it.  I'd love to see people's faces when they see me playing SFC on a TRS-80

[jualdeaux]

Well, hopefully next weekend I'll have my system up and running properly, and be able to play OP without constantly crashing. Seems my motherboard doesn't have enough memory, so I am adding 256k to it and a new, faster hard drive. Well, WillWeasel is. Personally, I have a vague idea what he is going to do, so I am happy about that.
 I do find the game to be fun and interesting, but I also see that there is a lot to learn on it. Like where all the buttons are for the Klingon things.

Only 256k?

[Ravok]

 I have learned the limited knowlege i have, from all of you guys kind enough to help me here.

 The biggest problem i have is getting the help translated into English. I have been looking around for a book or something, but iv'e not found anything yet.

[KBF-WillWeasel]

Well, hopefully next weekend I'll have my system up and running properly, and be able to play OP without constantly crashing. Seems my motherboard doesn't have enough memory, so I am adding 256k to it and a new, faster hard drive. Well, WillWeasel is. Personally, I have a vague idea what he is going to do, so I am happy about that.
 I do find the game to be fun and interesting, but I also see that there is a lot to learn on it. Like where all the buttons are for the Klingon things.

Only 256k?

Like he said, he knows only what I have told him, and that does not allways stick as it should

256 +128

384 megabytes total ram

[Iceman]

You're saying you taught him addition? Thats a wonderful, philanthropic thing Wil.

[KBF-WillWeasel]

You're saying you taught him addition? Thats a wonderful, philanthropic thing Wil.

Well we are trying to start out slow, then work our way up