We are in our computer dark ages. They don’t do jack compared to what they could and should do. You should NEVER have to add a driver for any peripheral whatsoever. Never. If you have an internet connection every peripheral should be completely 100% self-installing and should be as simple as plug it into a running computer and it does all the work. All of it.
Every facet of your graphic interface should be capable of infinite customization by your grandmother who never saw a computer before in her life.
Every file or folder that is moved should automatically tell every program and piece of hardware where it was moved to. You should have to manually reassign names of links for anything. It should be automatic.
I could go on for a month with what computers SHOULD be able to do.
We are at least 50 years away from computers that work the way they should. Right now, we are still in our computer dark ages where advanced features are inaccessible to normal people and almost every task requires user judgment to perform.
Don’t believe me?
Go buy a computer and pull it out of the box and go sign up with your favorite Internet service provider, and see how far you get if you don’t know how to set up your pop and smp addresses. How freaking idiotic is that in 2012???? Unless you are on at least your 2nd computer, you still need a technician or savvy friend/relative to set you up. Good luck if you want to do something newer like set up a wireless router on your computer. My mother just had to call the Geek Squad to have that installed and they still took 2 hours and had trouble with it.
The internet is brilliant. It does 99% of the work for you.
Computer operating systems are still like tiny infants that can’t do anything beyond point and cry and shout because they can’t communicate yet in words.
We are in the computer dark ages. I don’t know how long we have to stay here until somebody like Apple gets a clue and takes ease of use to the next level.
Apple’s Macintosh was a huge leap from C:\shoot\me\in\the\head\if\I\can\ever\master\this\idiotic\DOS\syntax.
We need a new leap where computers do all connecting and backing up and installing and uninstalling and trouble-shooting on their own. Sure, a lot of support tech will be out of work, but then so will a lot of doctors who treat hypertension.
I still hate computers like the devil spawn they are. Not a day goes by that I am not frustrated by them in some way, shape or form.
Computer Dark Ages. We need an Enlightenment.
Agreed
“Computer Dark Ages. We need an Enlightenment.”
Your #13...spot on. Been preaching the same thing myself.
Wow do you have it all 100% backwards wrong in every way. Your “enlightened” age would be a nightmare if it were even possible, it would mean your computer is running itself not you running it. What you’re basically asking for is a car that can install its own clutch, just plain not realistic, and hellish if it could because you can almost guarantee the car won’t like the clutch you bought.
Every facet of your graphic interface is infinitely customizable. All you gotta do is right click. Of course understand that just because you can pick that setting doesn’t mean the monitor can display it or your eyes can actually see it.
If every program and piece of hardware found out about every file move then every file move would take 10 minutes.
What’s wrong with expecting a user to be able to click Tools, Options and enter the POP3 and SMTP addresses you’ve provided? What’s freaking idiotic is thinking that’s idiotic. It’s like finding the fuse box in your new home, you can probably cruise fine without it for a while (most ISPs have webmail) but eventually you’re going to have to flip a fuse switch because that’s life. Of course most ISPs will tell you exactly what setting to enter where in the most common aps that you could be using to interface with them so you really don’t need a tech savvy friend, you just need to READ what your ISP tells you. The reason Geek Squad had trouble is your mother probably gave them the wrong info, it’s a garbage in garbage out world, when the user doesn’t know the addresses of their ISP then they won’t give support the right addresses so support won’t put the right ones in.
Your OS is communicating in words fine. The problem is you’re not reading them. Most of the errors you’re seeing are highly informative and if you actually bothered to understand the tool in front of you would allow you to fix the problem in 30 seconds. But you’re relating to the computer incorrectly. You want it to be self driven, it’s not, it’s like your car, YOU drive it. When your gas gauge says E you put gas in your car because you bothered to learn what the car means when it says E. When Outlook says it can’t find that POP3 server it just gave you a very useful message, the only question is did you bother to learn what it means.
DOS was powerful. There’s still thing I do in DOS because it’s faster. Steeper learning curve but effort has rewards.
We need a new leap where users understand how they’re actually supposed to work with computers. Stop treating them like magic, start treating them like tools. Instead of blaming the computer LEARN it.
They hate you too, perhaps thats why you have so much trouble.
I have a HP Laserjet that did what you are talking about. Recently connected it to my new computer and the contacted HP to obtain the drivers. It went to HP and hp took over the printer through my computer, wiped the memory of the printer and installed a new os, configured it and installed it on my computer. I thought that was cool!