At 12:52 AM 3/15/97 -0500, you wrote:
>>John McEwen wrote:
>>
>>> Kai, you are young and keen. The computer is your hobby. Find a way to
>>> make the computer as unobtrusive as the toaster, while allowing computer
>>> nerds to play all day if they wish. Just don't let them drive on my
>>> highway or use jargon when I want to find out why a message I sent didn't
>>> get there.
>
>In the horse and buggy days, knowledge of machinery was far more widespread
>than today. It was expected that the purchaser of an automobile would
>service it. Have a look at an automobile owner's manual from that period.
>Remember that the automobile was a new invention and still largely a
>plaything of the rich who could afford to hire a chauffeur who knew
>machinery, or was owned by a man who understood the repair needs of the
>day. In fact, take a look at the owners manuals of our precious LBCs. A
>great deal of knowledge was expected and required. That situation has
>changed forever during the past 40 years.
>
SNIP
>
>
>
>Have we progressed? We can do more things and do them faster but the idea
>has not changed. Somewhere along the way the technocrats took over and
>deemed that we should all clearly understand and be required to execute
>every detailed process in the operation. We were expected - as PC users -
>to memorize hundreds of keyboard commands and keep a dictionary of these
>commands handy when we couldn't remember. Why?
>
>
>Someday we may reach a point where we can
>>simply talk to a computer in plain English and it will understand. But
>>that's a long way off and even then you'll need to know how to talk to
>>it. Think of how much trouble we have sometimes telling other people
>>what we want.
>>
Next time he posts pay special attention to Chip Old's Tag line (sorry,
jargon there....) It sums up the whole thing I think.
___ \______ Ross MacPherson
/ __ \ __ / /------|) arm@unix.infoserve.net
/ (___)---------/ (___) Vancouver, BC, Canada
1947 MG-TC 3528 1966 MGB-GT
|