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why are lot of people so retarded when it comes to computers?

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Originally posted by: TridenTBoy3555
Wow... Got a case of tl;dr there.
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Another ADD child. Spend hours and hours frittering away time without actually reading anything.
 
Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
In fact I have a simple example with my car acting up. I don't know much about cars and my car was making a slight grinding noise when the AC was turned off or set to a certain level (like, bilevel instead of max). A clueless user would go off and say its something wrong with the tires or try to link it with the fact that their keys are always hard to put in the ignition.
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As an ex-mechanic I can tell you that it's just as bad in that field. People have absolutely no clue about how their cars work, its really quite comical. They'll tell you it's acting up and when it works fine for your test drive they are unable to tell you about any conditions under which the car has problems, they just shrug and repeat what they told you to begin with.

I would argue it's actually worse in the automotive field. People treat their cars like black boxes, the same way they treat computers. When the throttle pedal goes down, the car goes. When the brake pedal is depressed, the car stops. That's all they know. You have no idea how many people out there would have absolutely no clue how to change an air filter or check their oil. They don't have to know, because that's what mechanics are for. Same situation for you.
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Yes, but they do understand they need gas in the tank for it to go. They also understand that tires should be checked occasionally (not that they do it, but they at least know it should be done)
 
I've often said that a computer is a unique product because it is the only item a consumer will buy and not take any responsibility in learning to use it.

If their refrigerator breaks, they will take stuff apart, examine things, and troubleshoot.

They will get oil changes on their cars, clean them out when they're dirty, and put gas in them.

They will buy a TV and put batteries in the remote, plug it in, and change channels all by themselves.

However, if they buy a computer, they feel they need to have someone come to their house and move an arrow on a screen for them because they can't get the concept. They qualify their ignorance by proudly starting the conversation with such phrases as "I'm not good with computers," "I hate computers," and my personal favorite: "I'm not very computer illiterate." (No, you're just plain old illiterate.)

The fact that a computer takes more than 5 minutes to learn how to use just shows the laziness of people in general. Anything that takes effort isn't worth doing. I do hold hope that our generation will not be as problematic as the last generation, so our kids will have a much easier job in their IT positions 🙂
 
Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
Actually to not bash only users, some techs can be really dumb too. I heard a story about the res internet help desk, one tech told a user to daisy chain DSL line filters because the user was getting noise on the line. She had like 5 filters in a chain. These are passive filters, its either filtered or its not. You cant "amplify" the filtering. 😛
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Actually, this can work if you're filtering an older phone with a high REM requirement for the ringer (like the old phones that actually had a bell mechanism for ringing). It has to do with increasing the coil volume in the filter. However, yeah, 5 is ridiculous. If it doesn't work with a second one (or it's a modern phone), there's no point.
 
The very fact that Helpdesk Support exists is because computers are not something that everyone understands as easily as you and I may think. I work for Network Support now, but my years at Helpdesk have shown that people display very different variations of a "need for help".

Some of our old school financial guys spend 7 hours a day on the phone with nothing more technical then an accounting calculator. When someone else asks them to do something technical on their computer that they have never done before, instead of fiddling with it they immediately pick up the phone. Its obvious that they are willing to shed some dignity in order to save time by calling helpdesk instead of screwing around with things.

Then there's our servicing support ladies that spend most of the day scanning, processing, and updating spreadsheets. Ask them how to do something in excel and they'll blow your freaking mind. Ask them to browse out to the shared drive and drag a copy of the subsidaries.doc down to their desktop and they lock up. In reference to computers, what they know is what they know very well.

Then there's the rookies who, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on, know 10% of everything there is to know about everything on their computers. They know what they have and what they don't have and if they can't download something to make their life easier or access something when they want to access it they go ape shit and pick up the phone to call support.

The list can go on. The bottom line is you have a helpdesk job because not everyone knows everything about computers. Yeah, there are a lot of dumb questions, but what constitues a GOOD question? Something that helpdesk doesn't know off the top of their heads and there's no KB article for it so it actually takes work to figure out what's going on? That's not good, that's time consuming, which is bad.

The people that you support make money for the company. If they didn't they wouldn't be hired in their position. Just because they don't know how to use certain aspects of technology as well as others doesn't mean they aren't a rediculously huge asset to the business. If you are that good at what you need to do and it doesn't require the knowledge of computer usage then you are wasting time learning more than you need to know.
 
There are a couple things that I've noticed directly affect the level of computer literacy of an individual.

1. A willingness or an aptitude to explore what the computer can do and a willingness or know how to use the internet to find out or research how to do something with the pc.
2. Amount of time they have to devote to using the computer and figuring things out. Many users do not have the time or do not spend any of their spare time using a computer and as a result will rely on calling the expert at the Helpdesk to give them the "quick" answer.
3. Lastly, the individual's ability to think creatively. The least literate computer users usually try to memorize the steps to perform a task on a pc and then follow those steps to do what they need each time. If something happens out of the ordinary when they follow those steps, they are then stuck and can't get around the issue. The more literate user will recall a similar situation in which this problem occurred and will try and apply that solution.
 
Because these very same people view the computer as a work tool and it's not something they are going to waste additional brain cells on learning.
 
Originally posted by: Mr Pickles
The list can go on. The bottom line is you have a helpdesk job because not everyone knows everything about computers. Yeah, there are a lot of dumb questions, but what constitues a GOOD question? Something that helpdesk doesn't know off the top of their heads and there's no KB article for it so it actually takes work to figure out what's going on? That's not good, that's time consuming, which is bad.

The people that you support make money for the company. If they didn't they wouldn't be hired in their position. Just because they don't know how to use certain aspects of technology as well as others doesn't mean they aren't a rediculously huge asset to the business. If you are that good at what you need to do and it doesn't require the knowledge of computer usage then you are wasting time learning more than you need to know.
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However, it's not that simple, companies don't like finding out that their "overhead" help desk has a massive backlog of tickets because every 3rd employee in the company can't remember their password longer than 2 days or doesn't know how to use Microsoft Word. There is remedial training classes that most employees in any company can take to learn these basic functions of their job, that they were supposed to know before they even got hired (and probably said they knew on their resume).

The help desks main function is for things outside the users control, "hey the company application we use to install stuff with isn't working", "hey we broke our shared area permissions", "hey my computer just fucking blew up". These are things you should ultimately need someone's help for.

There is obviously a line between an issue that should require the help of the support and a complete lack of skill sets on the users part. Sure, the line gets crossed a lot, but if it gets out of control, it could get to a point where the company steps in and starts reprimanding their employees.

There is also the employees who get hired to do a function, and instead of doing that function, spend all day bitching about their PC, the most minuscule shit in the world in an attempt to procrastinate their actual job. The people that will complain because their exchange pops up a warning message once a week for 5 seconds during a large peak load.
 
Originally posted by: KIRBYEE
Sounds like the OP could use the help of a remote desktop software. 😎
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Oh we do have such software - for managed customers we have a VPN and VNC directly in. For internet we use gotoassist. But some of these users are so stupid they can't even read a label off their computer, or take forever to establish the session (like gotoassist). If I have to get them to do ipconfig, ouch.

But that's why we get paid the big bucks. 😛
 
Originally posted by: skace
Originally posted by: Mr Pickles
The list can go on. The bottom line is you have a helpdesk job because not everyone knows everything about computers. Yeah, there are a lot of dumb questions, but what constitues a GOOD question? Something that helpdesk doesn't know off the top of their heads and there's no KB article for it so it actually takes work to figure out what's going on? That's not good, that's time consuming, which is bad.

The people that you support make money for the company. If they didn't they wouldn't be hired in their position. Just because they don't know how to use certain aspects of technology as well as others doesn't mean they aren't a rediculously huge asset to the business. If you are that good at what you need to do and it doesn't require the knowledge of computer usage then you are wasting time learning more than you need to know.
Click to expand...

However, it's not that simple, companies don't like finding out that their "overhead" help desk has a massive backlog of tickets because every 3rd employee in the company can't remember their password longer than 2 days or doesn't know how to use Microsoft Word. There is remedial training classes that most employees in any company can take to learn these basic functions of their job, that they were supposed to know before they even got hired (and probably said they knew on their resume).

The help desks main function is for things outside the users control, "hey the company application we use to install stuff with isn't working", "hey we broke our shared area permissions", "hey my computer just fucking blew up". These are things you should ultimately need someone's help for.

There is obviously a line between an issue that should require the help of the support and a complete lack of skill sets on the users part. Sure, the line gets crossed a lot, but if it gets out of control, it could get to a point where the company steps in and starts reprimanding their employees.

There is also the employees who get hired to do a function, and instead of doing that function, spend all day bitching about their PC, the most minuscule shit in the world in an attempt to procrastinate their actual job. The people that will complain because their exchange pops up a warning message once a week for 5 seconds during a large peak load.
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My thoughts exactly. We're around to fix stuff that breaks, or help roll out new stuff, and do maintenance such as backups. (talking more about IT in general, not strictly help desk)

 
Of the past 4 jobs I've had, 3 were help desk and 1 was mindless office work. I once heard to other mindless office workers have this conversation:

MOW1:"Where is my email!!!! I haven't got it yet, where is it??!"
MOW2🙁in a official sounding tone) "Well, sometimes the packets get lost in the tubes, and the email doesn't come through"

This was an internal email on an exchange server. I chuckeld
 
really its just that people are generally retarded, its nothing to do with computers.

We had a guy turn up to A+E on the weekend to have an aubergine removed from his rectum!

Really.

Apart from the fact that he had a large purple vegetable lodged in his anus he seemed bright enough.

So just be thankfull you dont have to trouble shoot that down the phone.
 
Originally posted by: ric1287
Of the past 4 jobs I've had, 3 were help desk and 1 was mindless office work. I once heard to other mindless office workers have this conversation:

MOW1:"Where is my email!!!! I haven't got it yet, where is it??!"
MOW2🙁in a official sounding tone) "Well, sometimes the packets get lost in the tubes, and the email doesn't come through"

This was an internal email on an exchange server. I chuckeld
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lol, people can be really dumb with email. I'm sure everyone has witnessed a really really bad "reply to all" at least once. Or "all employees" accident.... Someone did that once, to not only all of our company, but all of the company that owns our company. So this email went pretty much Canada wide to probably over 5000 employees. It was someone asking for a day off and trying to email her boss.
 
One of my favorites: "Can you add <web-based system> to the star?"

Ummm, what?

"You know, can you put it in the star? Install it?"

She wanted me to add a bookmark to the website because she doesn't know how to type URLs into the address bar. I asked her about how she surfs the net at home.

"I just click the drop down box and all my sites are there."

Everything she ever surfs is listed in the last 12 viewed sites in history, accessible through the URL bar.
 
Originally posted by: MotionMan
Originally posted by: frostedflakes
Originally posted by: God Mode
Because its all relative. They may excel at something other than computers. Its akin to a mechanic saying how stupid someone is for not knowing how to rebuild an engine. This is a good thing because it keeps you busy with clueless customers.
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It's not like entering text into a field is very hard to figure out. I'd say it's more like a mechanic complaining about someone being too stupid to pop their hood, especially if they are walking the person through it step-by-step. This stuff isn't rocket science, and I don't see any problem vilifying people who can't even follow simple directions.
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-Ok, now try turning on the car.
-What do you mean?
-You know, turn on the car.
-You mean, like, turn the key?
-Yeah, turn the key so the car turns on.
-Um, but the key is not in the ignition. What should I do?
-Put the key in the ignition, then turn it to the...
-Wait, wait, wait...let me get a pen and paper. I do not see why this has to be so complicated! I mean, you are the mechanic. Why do I have to do so much myself? I just want the car to start!!!

MotionMan
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Continued....🙂

-OW!! FUCK YOU! What was that supposed to do, asshole?!?
What, what happened?
-The key sparked, got really hot, and burned my goddamn hand, that's what happened!
When you put it in the ignition?
-Yeah! Why the hell did you have me put it in there anyway?
You said you wanted to turn the car on.
-Sure. I put the key into the ignition, same place where I light my smokes, you know? Just like you said to do, and now I burned myself. I want to talk to your supervisor right now! I'll have you fired by the end of the day!
...Yes. I will go get my supervisor. He'll want to laugh at you too.

 
I used to work at an internal helpdesk...people can be stupid that's for sure. I can expect it from some old granny that's never seen a PC before, but office workers should know better! The computer is a tool they use everyday and some of these people know absolutely nothing about it.
 
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