[rescue] Wooohhhooo XP -> 0 to BSOD in 12min23sec

[Chris Byrne]

Greg A. Woods Sent: 30 October 2001 05:39
To: rescue at sunhelp.org
Subject: Re: [rescue] Wooohhhooo XP -> 0 to BSOD in 12min23sec

>Most people find that learning to use a Unix system that way is so
intriguing that
>they'll continually learn more every day and as a result continue to be
>able to enhance the quality of their work on an ongoing basis.

Greg I'm going to have to disagree with you there. You are forgetting the
FUD and comfort factors that may seem stupid and irrational but are VERY
VERY real to the users.

To you or me a new operating environment is an interesting challenge. To
some users chainging the colors on their desktop is a terrifying experience
that absolutely paralyzes them. They simply never gain any understanding of
the operations and repeat actions by rote so that if there is even the
smallest change (move an icon two inches over from it's normal position)
they simply lock up.

I know this sounds like exaggeration but it's not. I've seen it many times,
especially (dont take this as a sexist statement it's based on experience)
in middle aged women. Many of them were raised with the cultural value that
technology was sinister and evil and that women shouldnt ever try and deal
with it, and they honestly believe it.

And it doesnt help when you get comments like "these people make me sick"
because those people know exactly what you think of them and thus will
either be hostile to you, or will be so intimidated by you that they'll
never ask you for help.

Remember the primary dictum of administration

If your USERS cant get THEIR jobs dont YOU ARENT DOING YOURS!

That was not intended personally BTW, but I can't emphasize it enough.

Chris Byrne