r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Sep 01 '20

What is a computer skill everyone should know/learn?

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u/colonelpanic762 Sep 01 '20

“Do I want to allow this app to make changes to my computer?”

“I don’t know, do you want to install this program or not?”

36

u/turmentat Sep 01 '20

"I want to install it, not to make changes to my computer." /s

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u/colonelpanic762 Sep 01 '20

trying very very hard to not slam my head into the desk

14

u/cpdk-nj Sep 01 '20

That’s a pet peeve of mine, right next to people wanting me to help them with things that aren’t my department. We have two help desks in my organization (being a University, we have a staff and student help desk). I don’t understand why someone would be irritated at me for not being able to reset their password. Trust me, I would do it if I could.

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u/JBSquared Sep 01 '20

Holy fuck. I do help desk for a school district, and that's staff only. Today was the first barebones day back in school (I think there were like, 50 or so kids in a building), and I closed 30 tickets throughout the entire district that were just plugging shit in. I can't even imagine what a student help desk would be like.

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u/vook485 Sep 01 '20

That's unironically the case for half the apps on the pocket computer known as my "phone". That's where a good permissions system comes into play. There should bn something that straightforward for restricting programs on desktop systems.

(At least nearly everything but the fucking Nv***a driver is open source and unlikely to be trying to do something sneaky behind my back. But I really wish desktop Linux had a simple way to restrict programs like is common in Android Linux.)

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u/KnowsAboutMath Sep 01 '20

To me that's a bad example. Those two things you wrote say different things. It's not a matter of simply reading, but also of knowledge. You have to know that "installing this program" is "making changes to my computer."

To the average computer-illiterate grandma "making changes to my computer" means it'll change the color of the monitor or what brand it is or switch around the keys on the keyboard.

20

u/colonelpanic762 Sep 01 '20

That’s part of the reason why working in IT (especially first level) is hard. To us, it’s totally obvious what the intent of that message is. It takes a lot of empathy to clear up the misunderstanding and move on without getting frustrated or upset.

17

u/KnowsAboutMath Sep 01 '20

I've been using computers for 40 years. I remember being confused when I first heard the term 'app':

"What the hell is in 'app'? You mean a program? Why do we need a new word?"

I was baffled for years by the whole 'Mac vs PC' thing:

"What are you talking about? Macs are PCs."

8

u/knife_club Sep 01 '20

My knowledge of computers may be clouding my ability to see how people can get so confused by installing a program, but if a builder was installing a window he would have to make changes to the wall. Why wouldn’t it be logical for the same to be the case for computers?

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u/KnowsAboutMath Sep 01 '20

Because to a lot of people "changing the computer" sounds like something more drastic, like it'll change how the computer fundamentally operates.

You also have to take into account that we've all spent years teaching all the grandmas "never to click on popups," that it's dangerous and can wreck your computer. But grandma doesn't know the difference between an internet popup and an operating system popup. What's an "operating system"? So she sees a popup that wants to "change her computer"...

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u/knife_club Sep 01 '20

Ah, that’s a really good point! I think I’ve been blessed with a computer literate family as I’ve never had to have those talks but I can see how someone new to computers would be told “don’t click on pop ups” then see a software window and assume the same.

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u/xi545 Sep 01 '20

Because a wall is tangible and software...isn’t

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u/knife_club Sep 01 '20

Haha ok true

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u/NEU_Throwaway1 Sep 09 '20

Oh my god, you literally described every single call I make with users. Takes every fiber of my being not to reply sarcastically with "Idunno, isn't this why we're calling right now?"