[vcf-midatlantic] OT: people don't understand computers anymore

[chrisjpf33 at gmail.com]

On Jun 7, 2016, at 2:01 PM, Dan Roganti via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic at lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:

On Tue, Jun 7, 2016 at 1:55 PM, chrisjpf33--- via vcf-midatlantic <
vcf-midatlantic at lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:

> On Jun 7, 2016, at 1:45 PM, Dan Roganti via vcf-midatlantic <
> vcf-midatlantic at lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
> 
> On Tue, Jun 7, 2016 at 12:21 PM, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic <
> vcf-midatlantic at lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
> 
>> As it's quiet on the maillist, I'll ask about something on the edges of
>> vintage computing. People today - I use the phrase "in the 21st century"
> -
>> don't seem to know anything about how computers work, anymore. I'd like a
>> little feedback, not a huge discussion (and not a gripe session), about
> how
>> common that ignorance is, what we as vintage computer owners should do -
>> once I clarify what I mean, and provide an example.
> 
> ​[snip]
> 
> Herb,
> It sounds like you're referring to the consumer market and I don't think
> this is unique to the 21st century
> I think this really began with the advent of the appliance home computers
> in 1977
> When the consumer market was introduced to the 3 amigo's from those
> competing companies, Apple, Radio Shack and Commodore
> Those 3 computers enabled the consumer market, and didn't require you to
> know the internals of the software or hardware.
> All else before that was strictly made for the hobbyist market, those which
> required some knowledge, even some made later did too of course.
> Not everyone needed to how to change the engine oil or rebuild an engine,
> much less so how to add memory or install a printer, etc, back then.
> So sprang the consumer computer market into action from that point on,
> allowing ordinary people to use these new productivity tools.
> Just as with TV's, stereos, and any other appliance which you didn't build
> from Heathkit :)
> Dan
> 
> 
> Dan, I respectfully disagree. I am typing a response of my experience
> after that time period that may elaborate.
> 
> Chris
ok, but ​I'm curious​ about which aspect you disagree
People are not experts in everything
And computers were appliances that early
Dan


-----


I guess I only really disagree about the timing. I don't think that particular  era in computing drew the line that you suggest. I think that before and after that time, people took an interest in the inner workings of their computer. At the very least, people had to understand cable connections, commands, file systems, modem baud rate, etc. I agree that people didn't have to be experts like in the mainframe days, but they certainly needed more skills than today. If I were to guess, I think that the mindless consuming of computers didn't really start happening until the Internet.