Huhwhat? I love Opera and it's almost all I use, but it leaks memory like a sieve. After a few days with Opera open, it takes up hundreds of megs. Maybe they've fixed it for 9.0 and that's why it's better for you. I'll admit that in only the most extreme situations have I reached levels like 870mb with Opera. OTOH, trying to close opera when it's blowing 450mb is awful; I generally wind up giving it the old "kill -9".
As far as extensions and what not, I've yet to find a Firefox extension that I wish I had in Opera; and the ones I always install in Firefox are for functionality already included in Opera.
I'm not familiar with a "gg: url"...but how is google more prominent in Konqueror?
In Konqueror, the default configuration includes a google search to the right of the address box, just like in Firefox; but in Firefox, the default configuration starts up at a home page with a big google search.
Well, I imagine that windows will say "New hardware found" and maybe ask for drivers. If it doesn't ask for drivers, you can bet that almost all cubicle-dwelling users (and many home users) will just ignore it.
I want to be able to turn a knob and set how much light gets through the windows. I want this per window, with a master for each wall, a master for each room, and a master for the house.
There's a million posts asking for LCD-dimmable windows. I'm surprised that there's not a single post asking for power windows.
I want centrally controlled power windows, so I can open all the windows in the house, all the windows on one side, or all the windows in some rooms all at once; and so I can press a button to close them all when it suddenly starts raining, or when I need to leave.
I can't buy a two-door car without power windows, remote controlled power locks, and nowadays a power hatch or liftgate in the rear (none of which save me time or effort). Why do I have to use a metal key in two locks and I still can't get in my patio door if I park in the back? Why must I push the screen door closed when I leave? Why must I spend ten minutes closing windows before I leave, and then turn around and go back when I realize that I forgot the one in the kitchen? How about when I'm tired, and it's late at night, and my wife wants the door locked, and I just want to go to bed...
The construction company where I work has never been asked to report five figure checks, and we get them all the time.
Bob Kerr's column is full of stories like this. Some are more believable than others. This one lacks substantiating evidence, and is pretty tough to believe without it. Since 9/11, I've made transactions like that, and I'm not even old and retired; I'm young and can barely make the payments on my raised ranch...I've never had this sort of problem.
Why would the company not post the transaction while they investigate? Wouldn't it make more sense to NOT alert "terrorists" that they're suspects?
I'd like to see some proof, so I'll know to be properly scared when I pay off credit cards.
Wow...imagine what would happen if Steve Ballmer met Dick Cheney. Or, let's combine Steve Ballmer with Dick Cheney...we could call it The Terminator and send it to take care of our wars...
Its about $2.50/gallon... not much savings currently.
Er...it appears that link is about Biodiesel; I think (aftear reading TFA) the kids in question built it for SVO. SVO is cheaper than Biodiesel, and there's no way I could think of to make Biodiesel cheaper than SVO unless you came up with some cheap filler material -- whale oil, maybe?
That's it! I've solved world hunger AND fossil fuel shortages...we'll run our cars on whale oil, and feed whale meat to the starving masses. Bwahahahahahahah!!!!
It doesn't matter what version of linux you run, if it has a package manager, you can find the right package and the right executable.
Really? I run SuSE 9.x, and package dependencies have been a huge problem for me since I installed it approximately 1 year ago. I used Slackware before that, and compiling from source was usually much easier than installing an rpm is now. You're mostly right about finding the right version of the package for your CPU; that's simple, but what's not is finding a package for your version of your distribution.
Hmm. "apt-get install ksensors ktemperature". Or do it through Adept if you want a GUI; search for "temperature", click on the package you want (it shows the descriptions), click on "install", click on "commit changes". Again, far, far simpler than installing things in windows.
How is that simpler than double clicking the downloaded file (or inserting the cd), clicking the "Next" button a couple times, and then clicking the "Done" button?
You're right, mplayer sucks. Now how about Totem, VLC, Kaffeine, or Xine, all of which I have installed and all of which have nicer GUIs than Windows Media Player?
His complaint was that he had to use frontends like Kaffeine (which, IIRC, is a GUI frontend for mplayer). I, personally, find it much easier to just type "mplayer filename", but that's a personal opinion. Either way, IME, mplayer is the most trouble-free media player; others constantly fail to play various formats for lack of a codec, while mplayer either just plain works, or just requires a couple files dropped into a directory. Of course, if you have codec problems in Windows, it's even worse; you have to install stuff that you don't know where it's going and what it's clobbering and what registry keys it's entering; and when you're done, you're usually worse off than you were before. Looks like both Windows and Linux suck for that.
A couple of other things: removable USB drives work wonderfully in linux (ubuntu, at least); to remove such a think I right click and choose "safely remove". The equivalent action in winXP takes at least 4 clicks through a bizarre and confusing popup that shows USB hubs.
Linux only works this well if you happen to have a properly configured automatic mounting daemon working; my SuSE does, but I don't know if other modern Linuxen just plain work with that. However, I can't imagine what problem you have with Windows; a single left click on the tray icon for USB device removal pops up a list of USB devices along with their drive letters; I click on the drive letter I want to remove and it says "It is now safe to remove...". Stop right-clicking on it; that's how you wind up with the bizarre dungeon of dialogs listing hubs you didn't know were involved.
Indeed, I can do everything from my GUI desktop in linux as well. Again, this isn't 1998; the linux command line is still present and is still invaluable, but in 2006, Linux *is* ready for the desktop.
"apt-get install ksensors ktemperature" is something you can do from your GUI desktop?
Maybe I need to try Kubuntu, because I still can't get half of my peripherals working right and software installation is a big PITA for me. I think the last time I tried Ubuntu, it wouldn't boot, but maybe it will now.
Well, the point was kind of thin...it was mostly for humor. One user posted "even my 155hp vehicle outran a prius"; another replied "sarcasticly impressed, you spent money on a big displacement muscle car"; and my point was that from a different POV, it sounds like the first user bought a cheezy econobox. Like I said...it was an excuse to post funny stuff.
This comment brought to you by "regulation guardrails would be torn out of the ground and disintegrated by my pickup with a load of materials in the bed"-guy.
You pulled out your wallet, and bought a big inneficient engine, and you pull it out and pay too much for gas.
That's funny, because I was thinking: "Hmm...155bhp and 155ft-lb...Wow, he outran something with that puny tin can?"
I, of course, drive an "I don't give a flying fuck about you"-mobile, because I in fact DO need to move heavy loads long distances almost every day, for my job. Of course, as a result, I've gotten so used to my elbows and knees not rattling against the plastic of the claustrophobic cockpit of a compact car, that I'll never drive anything without a bench seat again, which pretty much limits me to pickups and full size SUVs, or maybe an occasional Buick...
Anyway, when not encumbered by my 6000 pound trailer, my "fuck you and the environment, I'm a redneck and proud of it"-mobile would probably drive circles around the "155bhp and 155ft-lb"-tincan, the "Will Somebody Please Think Of The Children"-Prius, and whatever you drive. Of course, if it failed to steer in those circles (if I was interested in handling, I'd have gotten the Toyota, but the GMC is much more comfortable and handles heavier loads), then my "you're gonna die in an accident with me"-mobile will either run over your car or shear off the roof (and your head).
This "you're all gonna hate me now"-comment was brought to you by "I sure hope Biodiesel gets mass produced and distributed so I can buy a diesel truck next time and not have to worry about supporting the terrorists"-guy.
He's making light of a very significant thing for most home users--a full wipe and reinstall of the operating system and applications. That's a day's work for your typical user, more if you have a bunch of programs you need to go hunting for.
Actually, for "your typical user", it's a lot worse than that. It's dropping the computer off for a week or more, paying $100 or more, and getting it back not working the way you want it to, and struggling to get your settings and preferences and programs back the way you like them...and, like you say, STILL not having the pictures of Johnny's first day at school.
Besides, I mostly don't hear that Linux (or any UNIX-like OS; collectively referred to by myself as "unixen" or maybe "unices") is automatically and inherently more secure than any other OS (except a few rare cases whose main purpose is security, such as OpenBSD); the truth (which is what you find if you pay attention) is that it's easier to secure, and can be secured better.
I'm not sure how important that is anyway. The bugaboo for typical home users is so rarely a targetted attack on their data. Rather, it's the daily destruction of their OS by common malware. Their data generally survives even the worst collections of OS-crashing adware, spyware, virii, and Sony rootkits. In this arena, unixen are much better, with their limiting the user to a home directory.
Of course, OTOH, practical usability (including the fact that Windows is almost exclusively common as the pre-installed OS, and the OS for which classes are available everywhere and for which applications are taught at schools) for joe schmoe still leaves Windows as the most satisfactory for such users.
Meanwhile, I'm off to test a bunch of modern Linux distributions (as well as a few BSDs and an Amiga OS clone) on old hardware to see what runs best for my purposes (one as a file server, another as a combination thin VNC and RDP client and print server)...
Okay, after posting that comment, I figured I'd try it from the other end of the spectrum. That is to say...my problem with it tends to be that I go to Pandora looking for some relaxing tunes, and I can't get it. That got me thinking, why not go to Pandora when I want more lively music, which is what it wants to play anyway? So I created an "Anthrax" station, and voila! No tweaking required. Perfect.
The moral of the story is that Pandora rocks well, but entirely fails to lull.
I haven't tried last.fm, but I've given up on Pandora. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get a lightweight station. I'm not familiar with Kruder & Dorfmeister, but I'll create a station, specify additional songs, mark as bad songs that I don't like, and still wind up with loud / fast / angry songs.
Songs I've tried to base quiet-easy-happy stations on: "Can't Let Go" by Lucinda Williams "Works For Me" by Toby Keith "Piano In The Dark" by Brenda Russell "Sweet Freedom" by Michael Macdonald "Dark Star" by The Grateful Dead I don't remember what other songs I've tried.
Pandora then chooses songs that have "Mild rhythmic syncopation" (whatever that means) as their first quality. The rest of the properties may differ, but that one is always there.
Okay, I just google syncopation, and it's probably not relevant to what I want. I'll try "Kruder & Dorfmeister" and see what I get...
I've found that it's entirely too much work to fsck around with drivers on every OS on each computer. Hardware bridges (often sold as "Gaming Adapters" to connect ethernet-enabled game consoles to a wireless network) kick butt. Set up the bridge once, get connectivity to every ethernet device in the room (or as far as you want to cable), and never have to mess with it again. Even saves time on windows boxen.
Belkin low-end wireless routers can bridge to each other. Motorola makes a decent bridge at a reasonable price.
Have you ever seen plans for a project of this size? My company does government work, stuff like libraries and fire stations. On both small and large projects, it is IMPOSSIBLE to find, anywhere in the 2000 page specification book or the 100 page 3'x4' sheet pile of plans, the address, the street, or any idea of location. Often there is a site plan, which might locate the building relative to a few trees or a sewer grate; but more often, the site plan only shows stuff that's NOT there yet.
In fact, direction is the only thing that is often easy to find; interpreting it is another matter. Sides of a building are often labelled with cardinal directions -- "North", "South", "East", "West". However, sometimes the label East means that you're looking Eastward, but other times it means that you're looking at the East-facing side of the building. This makes it entirely too easy to build the building facing exactly the opposite direction of where it should.
Usually, when actually on site (if you can figure out where the site is), you can see where the road is, and you put the side with the front entry facing the road; but on a college campus, that point of reference is often missing or useless.
True, but it's very close. Fix the slashes and add a little more detail, and "Letter wrote to Alchemar on 1-17-06.doc" is a great filename. "Letter.doc" and "Alchemar.doc" are terrible.
Have any of you ever used or seen any software designed for small kids? Imagine your entire OS being designed like that. It would be AWFUL.
Have you ever seen software designed for 100% non-geek use? Microsoft Picture It looks like something for small kids, at least the last time I saw it it did, with huge brightly colored plastic-looking buttons...and I know I've seen other programs that look similar. This is probably the future of consumer computing.
Great points. Entirely agreed. They definitely do NOT need all that crap. Here I was writing a long post about how a book should teach people to filter out the stuff that they don't need/want to see, and you come along with a better idea (though somewhat off-topic for this discussion, an Ask Slashdot about writing a book to educate users on how stuff works now): Just get RID of the crap that they don't need/want to see. GUIs can always have easily-switched "Simple" and "Expert" modes for geeks who DO want/need to see stuff.
However, if they must be stuck with all that junk, could we at least make it require knowledge and a confirmation dialog before they can have a window any size other than maximized? I've never seen a non-geek who uses non-maximized windows in any useful way; they're not even cognizant of the size/status of the window.
Unfortunately, they readily understand resizing the window, but not maximizing; they drag the window until it fills the screen, then they ask me where their status bar went, why they can't see the bottom button on the scroll bar, etc. Meanwhile, Windows does a great job of saving the window size and position, but refuses to save it's maximized status when I maximize. I make sure to maximize the last window of a program before closing, I set the shortcut to start maximized, and stuff still comes up in some oddball size and position.
I'm a multitasking geek, who processes all kinds of incongruent data simultaneously, and even *I* rarely want non-maximized windows. I want to see as much info as possible, pull a split-second Alt+Tab, get or use info in that window, Alt+Tab again, etc. I hate having a 17" screen at 1280x1024 and still having to scroll around just to click on a bookmark or some such.
A "file" is data or a document of some sort. It may be letter, a photo, a song, a video, a shopping list, a piece of a program, a piece of the operating system, a piece of adware, an insurance form, a contract, or whatever. A "folder" is a container that can contain many files, can contain folders, and can be found in a folder.
A file has a "location" in the file system. When you save it, if you know it's location, you have lots of power. For example, if you save a file in Microsoft Word, and want to start using Open Office, you simply need to know the location of the file. If you download your music in iTunes, and want to listen to it in MusicMatch Jukebox, you must merely know it's location. If you don't know the location of your file, your geek won't be able to find it either, so don't bother him until you know.
You describe the location of a file by listing the folder where the file can be found, the folder in which that folder can be found, ad nauseum, with the "backslash" character ("\") in between, and the drive letter followed by a colon before, so a location looks like d:\outerfolder\middlefolder\middlefolder\innerfold er\filename.ext. (Maybe explain file extensions, the ability of Windows to hide the file extension from the user, and why they might want to disable that feature and look at those extensions themselves before double-clicking a file).
You have my permission to use any or all of that, verbatim or modified, and take credit for it as your own.
My mother cannot grasp the concept of folders. She puts every document relating to one theme in a single file; she prints out whatever pages of that file matter for a single document. It's a terrible system.
No non-geek understands file locations. Even semi-geeks may only partially understand; I can think of two or three people who know where their MS Word files are, but don't even understand that eMule or iTunes keeps their music in files located in the filesystem.
On a separate topic, maybe the concept of email delivery would be useful (user clicks "send", his computer attempts to deliver mail to server [post office analogy]; then server attempts to deliver to destination server [post office analogy again]; then receiving user MUST connect to server [post office analogy again] to retrieve their mail). Oh, and the difference between a web address and an email address (the "@" signifies a person's name "at" a place, while a web address is just a place).
My parents must read every character on the screen before they can gather a single piece of data from it. They cannot interact with the computer until they have viewed, thought about, squinted at, photographed, printed the photo of, discarded the photo of, composted the photo of, and grown a new tree out of that photo, of every pixel.
Users can't read you the part you need because, with the possible exception of something that is obviously a cheesecake recipe, everything on the screen is nonsense to them. Maybe Cliff could attempt to quantify and describe the filters used by us geeks to read only the important stuff. Extra credit if you can teach them to correctly operate "OK" and "Cancel" buttons in other languages/broken video cards/buggy software (more extra credit if they can do it ambi-interfacedly -- mouse and/or keyboard).
That reminds me: One thing that should definitely be covered is the 3-way "Save file" dialog that comes up when exiting a program/shutting down, and similar dialogs, that offer "Yes", "No", and "Cancel". This confuses the heck out of many users, and it's not reasonable to expect them to figure it out on their own unless they're geeks. They need to know that "Cancel" is a sure-fire way to get nothing done and be back where they started, and that they need to click "No" if they want to continue exiting the program but don't want to save the file. A sidebar should explain that walking away from the dialog will result in the computer waiting forever, and probably an "End task?" dialog will come up too.
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Huhwhat? I love Opera and it's almost all I use, but it leaks memory like a sieve. After a few days with Opera open, it takes up hundreds of megs. Maybe they've fixed it for 9.0 and that's why it's better for you. I'll admit that in only the most extreme situations have I reached levels like 870mb with Opera. OTOH, trying to close opera when it's blowing 450mb is awful; I generally wind up giving it the old "kill -9".
As far as extensions and what not, I've yet to find a Firefox extension that I wish I had in Opera; and the ones I always install in Firefox are for functionality already included in Opera.
I'm not familiar with a "gg: url"...but how is google more prominent in Konqueror?
In Konqueror, the default configuration includes a google search to the right of the address box, just like in Firefox; but in Firefox, the default configuration starts up at a home page with a big google search.
Well, I imagine that windows will say "New hardware found" and maybe ask for drivers. If it doesn't ask for drivers, you can bet that almost all cubicle-dwelling users (and many home users) will just ignore it.
I want centrally controlled power windows, so I can open all the windows in the house, all the windows on one side, or all the windows in some rooms all at once; and so I can press a button to close them all when it suddenly starts raining, or when I need to leave.
I can't buy a two-door car without power windows, remote controlled power locks, and nowadays a power hatch or liftgate in the rear (none of which save me time or effort). Why do I have to use a metal key in two locks and I still can't get in my patio door if I park in the back? Why must I push the screen door closed when I leave? Why must I spend ten minutes closing windows before I leave, and then turn around and go back when I realize that I forgot the one in the kitchen? How about when I'm tired, and it's late at night, and my wife wants the door locked, and I just want to go to bed...
The construction company where I work has never been asked to report five figure checks, and we get them all the time.
Bob Kerr's column is full of stories like this. Some are more believable than others. This one lacks substantiating evidence, and is pretty tough to believe without it. Since 9/11, I've made transactions like that, and I'm not even old and retired; I'm young and can barely make the payments on my raised ranch...I've never had this sort of problem.
Why would the company not post the transaction while they investigate? Wouldn't it make more sense to NOT alert "terrorists" that they're suspects?
I'd like to see some proof, so I'll know to be properly scared when I pay off credit cards.
It also means that he'll retire in half the time you will, with a full pension.
Wow...imagine what would happen if Steve Ballmer met Dick Cheney. Or, let's combine Steve Ballmer with Dick Cheney...we could call it The Terminator and send it to take care of our wars...
That's it! I've solved world hunger AND fossil fuel shortages...we'll run our cars on whale oil, and feed whale meat to the starving masses. Bwahahahahahahah!!!!
Maybe I need to try Kubuntu, because I still can't get half of my peripherals working right and software installation is a big PITA for me. I think the last time I tried Ubuntu, it wouldn't boot, but maybe it will now.
...and also http://www.carrottop.com/newcarrot/index.htmlCarro t Top...
Well, the point was kind of thin...it was mostly for humor. One user posted "even my 155hp vehicle outran a prius"; another replied "sarcasticly impressed, you spent money on a big displacement muscle car"; and my point was that from a different POV, it sounds like the first user bought a cheezy econobox. Like I said...it was an excuse to post funny stuff.
This comment brought to you by "regulation guardrails would be torn out of the ground and disintegrated by my pickup with a load of materials in the bed"-guy.
I, of course, drive an "I don't give a flying fuck about you"-mobile, because I in fact DO need to move heavy loads long distances almost every day, for my job. Of course, as a result, I've gotten so used to my elbows and knees not rattling against the plastic of the claustrophobic cockpit of a compact car, that I'll never drive anything without a bench seat again, which pretty much limits me to pickups and full size SUVs, or maybe an occasional Buick...
Anyway, when not encumbered by my 6000 pound trailer, my "fuck you and the environment, I'm a redneck and proud of it"-mobile would probably drive circles around the "155bhp and 155ft-lb"-tincan, the "Will Somebody Please Think Of The Children"-Prius, and whatever you drive. Of course, if it failed to steer in those circles (if I was interested in handling, I'd have gotten the Toyota, but the GMC is much more comfortable and handles heavier loads), then my "you're gonna die in an accident with me"-mobile will either run over your car or shear off the roof (and your head).
This "you're all gonna hate me now"-comment was brought to you by "I sure hope Biodiesel gets mass produced and distributed so I can buy a diesel truck next time and not have to worry about supporting the terrorists"-guy.
Evolution? Hah! I believe that spyware was created by unintelligent designers.
Besides, I mostly don't hear that Linux (or any UNIX-like OS; collectively referred to by myself as "unixen" or maybe "unices") is automatically and inherently more secure than any other OS (except a few rare cases whose main purpose is security, such as OpenBSD); the truth (which is what you find if you pay attention) is that it's easier to secure, and can be secured better.
I'm not sure how important that is anyway. The bugaboo for typical home users is so rarely a targetted attack on their data. Rather, it's the daily destruction of their OS by common malware. Their data generally survives even the worst collections of OS-crashing adware, spyware, virii, and Sony rootkits. In this arena, unixen are much better, with their limiting the user to a home directory.
Of course, OTOH, practical usability (including the fact that Windows is almost exclusively common as the pre-installed OS, and the OS for which classes are available everywhere and for which applications are taught at schools) for joe schmoe still leaves Windows as the most satisfactory for such users.
Meanwhile, I'm off to test a bunch of modern Linux distributions (as well as a few BSDs and an Amiga OS clone) on old hardware to see what runs best for my purposes (one as a file server, another as a combination thin VNC and RDP client and print server)...
Okay, after posting that comment, I figured I'd try it from the other end of the spectrum. That is to say...my problem with it tends to be that I go to Pandora looking for some relaxing tunes, and I can't get it. That got me thinking, why not go to Pandora when I want more lively music, which is what it wants to play anyway? So I created an "Anthrax" station, and voila! No tweaking required. Perfect.
The moral of the story is that Pandora rocks well, but entirely fails to lull.
I haven't tried last.fm, but I've given up on Pandora. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get a lightweight station. I'm not familiar with Kruder & Dorfmeister, but I'll create a station, specify additional songs, mark as bad songs that I don't like, and still wind up with loud / fast / angry songs.
Songs I've tried to base quiet-easy-happy stations on:
"Can't Let Go" by Lucinda Williams
"Works For Me" by Toby Keith
"Piano In The Dark" by Brenda Russell
"Sweet Freedom" by Michael Macdonald
"Dark Star" by The Grateful Dead
I don't remember what other songs I've tried.
Pandora then chooses songs that have "Mild rhythmic syncopation" (whatever that means) as their first quality. The rest of the properties may differ, but that one is always there.
Okay, I just google syncopation, and it's probably not relevant to what I want. I'll try "Kruder & Dorfmeister" and see what I get...
No, the sad part is that you, me, and the OP are all so old.
I've found that it's entirely too much work to fsck around with drivers on every OS on each computer. Hardware bridges (often sold as "Gaming Adapters" to connect ethernet-enabled game consoles to a wireless network) kick butt. Set up the bridge once, get connectivity to every ethernet device in the room (or as far as you want to cable), and never have to mess with it again. Even saves time on windows boxen.
Belkin low-end wireless routers can bridge to each other. Motorola makes a decent bridge at a reasonable price.
Have you ever seen plans for a project of this size? My company does government work, stuff like libraries and fire stations. On both small and large projects, it is IMPOSSIBLE to find, anywhere in the 2000 page specification book or the 100 page 3'x4' sheet pile of plans, the address, the street, or any idea of location. Often there is a site plan, which might locate the building relative to a few trees or a sewer grate; but more often, the site plan only shows stuff that's NOT there yet.
In fact, direction is the only thing that is often easy to find; interpreting it is another matter. Sides of a building are often labelled with cardinal directions -- "North", "South", "East", "West". However, sometimes the label East means that you're looking Eastward, but other times it means that you're looking at the East-facing side of the building. This makes it entirely too easy to build the building facing exactly the opposite direction of where it should.
Usually, when actually on site (if you can figure out where the site is), you can see where the road is, and you put the side with the front entry facing the road; but on a college campus, that point of reference is often missing or useless.
True, but it's very close. Fix the slashes and add a little more detail, and "Letter wrote to Alchemar on 1-17-06.doc" is a great filename. "Letter.doc" and "Alchemar.doc" are terrible.
Great points. Entirely agreed. They definitely do NOT need all that crap. Here I was writing a long post about how a book should teach people to filter out the stuff that they don't need/want to see, and you come along with a better idea (though somewhat off-topic for this discussion, an Ask Slashdot about writing a book to educate users on how stuff works now): Just get RID of the crap that they don't need/want to see. GUIs can always have easily-switched "Simple" and "Expert" modes for geeks who DO want/need to see stuff.
However, if they must be stuck with all that junk, could we at least make it require knowledge and a confirmation dialog before they can have a window any size other than maximized? I've never seen a non-geek who uses non-maximized windows in any useful way; they're not even cognizant of the size/status of the window.
Unfortunately, they readily understand resizing the window, but not maximizing; they drag the window until it fills the screen, then they ask me where their status bar went, why they can't see the bottom button on the scroll bar, etc. Meanwhile, Windows does a great job of saving the window size and position, but refuses to save it's maximized status when I maximize. I make sure to maximize the last window of a program before closing, I set the shortcut to start maximized, and stuff still comes up in some oddball size and position.
I'm a multitasking geek, who processes all kinds of incongruent data simultaneously, and even *I* rarely want non-maximized windows. I want to see as much info as possible, pull a split-second Alt+Tab, get or use info in that window, Alt+Tab again, etc. I hate having a 17" screen at 1280x1024 and still having to scroll around just to click on a bookmark or some such.
Chapter 4: Understanding the file system.
d er\filename.ext. (Maybe explain file extensions, the ability of Windows to hide the file extension from the user, and why they might want to disable that feature and look at those extensions themselves before double-clicking a file).
A "file" is data or a document of some sort. It may be letter, a photo, a song, a video, a shopping list, a piece of a program, a piece of the operating system, a piece of adware, an insurance form, a contract, or whatever. A "folder" is a container that can contain many files, can contain folders, and can be found in a folder.
A file has a "location" in the file system. When you save it, if you know it's location, you have lots of power. For example, if you save a file in Microsoft Word, and want to start using Open Office, you simply need to know the location of the file. If you download your music in iTunes, and want to listen to it in MusicMatch Jukebox, you must merely know it's location. If you don't know the location of your file, your geek won't be able to find it either, so don't bother him until you know.
You describe the location of a file by listing the folder where the file can be found, the folder in which that folder can be found, ad nauseum, with the "backslash" character ("\") in between, and the drive letter followed by a colon before, so a location looks like d:\outerfolder\middlefolder\middlefolder\innerfol
You have my permission to use any or all of that, verbatim or modified, and take credit for it as your own.
My mother cannot grasp the concept of folders. She puts every document relating to one theme in a single file; she prints out whatever pages of that file matter for a single document. It's a terrible system.
No non-geek understands file locations. Even semi-geeks may only partially understand; I can think of two or three people who know where their MS Word files are, but don't even understand that eMule or iTunes keeps their music in files located in the filesystem.
On a separate topic, maybe the concept of email delivery would be useful (user clicks "send", his computer attempts to deliver mail to server [post office analogy]; then server attempts to deliver to destination server [post office analogy again]; then receiving user MUST connect to server [post office analogy again] to retrieve their mail). Oh, and the difference between a web address and an email address (the "@" signifies a person's name "at" a place, while a web address is just a place).
All of the above boils down to this:
My parents must read every character on the screen before they can gather a single piece of data from it. They cannot interact with the computer until they have viewed, thought about, squinted at, photographed, printed the photo of, discarded the photo of, composted the photo of, and grown a new tree out of that photo, of every pixel.
Users can't read you the part you need because, with the possible exception of something that is obviously a cheesecake recipe, everything on the screen is nonsense to them. Maybe Cliff could attempt to quantify and describe the filters used by us geeks to read only the important stuff. Extra credit if you can teach them to correctly operate "OK" and "Cancel" buttons in other languages/broken video cards/buggy software (more extra credit if they can do it ambi-interfacedly -- mouse and/or keyboard).
That reminds me: One thing that should definitely be covered is the 3-way "Save file" dialog that comes up when exiting a program/shutting down, and similar dialogs, that offer "Yes", "No", and "Cancel". This confuses the heck out of many users, and it's not reasonable to expect them to figure it out on their own unless they're geeks. They need to know that "Cancel" is a sure-fire way to get nothing done and be back where they started, and that they need to click "No" if they want to continue exiting the program but don't want to save the file. A sidebar should explain that walking away from the dialog will result in the computer waiting forever, and probably an "End task?" dialog will come up too.