🚀 go-pugleaf

Rob Slade, doting grandpa of Ryan and Trevor wrote in message (in part)...
>
>I am getting just a little tired of the car analogy.  "You don't need
>to be a mechanic," so the metaphor goes, "to drive a car.  Therefore,
>you don't need to know anything about the theory behind
>[encryption|networking|programming|etc.] in order to use a computer."
>This comparison ignores two important points.  One is that in 1912 you
>*did* need to be a fair mechanic to operate a car effectively, and
>that is roughly where we are with regard to the development of the
>computer.  The second point is that while computer programs are
>generally easy enough for a novice to use once they have been set up,
>the choice, evaluation, and configuration of systems requires much
>more background

Don't look now, but you've been left behind. I strongly suspect that the
majority of today's computer users know little or nothing about encryption,
networking, or programming, and could care less. I know only one computer
user who can write programs, and he uses BASIC. I know several people who
can input invoices, print reports, write and print documents, make up work
schedules, layout complicated pipe networks for water distribution (in CAD),
and do hosts of other tasks using a computer.

We are way past 1912. Many computers in use today are single user systems
with intermittent Internet access. The users of those systems don't care how
their system works, as long as the one or two programs they use do what they
want. They aren't interested in writing programs to make their system do
what they want, it already does. Computers are sold as appliances today,
pre-configured with sound, CDROM, modem, and software. Just fancy
calculators with a bigger display and keyboard. And this is good. Even if it
does offend the sensibilities of those of us who started out flipping front
panel switches to enter program code one byte at a time, like I did.

Intel's continuos development of computer chips has enabled Microsoft's
continuos development of Windows, and both Win95 and Win98 are good
operating systems. The serious problems have been ironed out, and I defy
anyone to write 5,000,000+ lines of error-free code, much less debug it.
Sure, there are still uncorrected (even undiscovered) bugs in Windows. The
known ones are being worked on, the others will be when they are discovered.
Windows will continue to improve.

You don't have to know how to make a calculator chip to use a calculator.
You have to know what you want to do, but your objective is finding the
solution to an arithmetic problem that you could find without the
calculator.

Likewise, you don't have to know how to build, or even program, a computer
to use one. A friend of mine just bought a PII-333 system. All the cables
and jacks are color coded, so you can set it up yourself. Even if you know
nothing about computers. When you turn it on, it plays sound files to TELL
you how to get started. Imagine that. Computer expert in the box. What will
they think of next.

Let your imagination run free.

Rick