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General discussion

Why are computers still so difficult to use?

Feb 11, 2011 6:14AM PST
Question:

Why are computers still so difficult to use?


Hi, Lee, I know this is not the technical question you normally receive, but I was hoping you can have your community members help me out in a big way.

As a final year college student I need to carry out an independent project looking at an issue in the domain of my subject. I chose the question, "Why are computers still so difficult to use?" To start my project I compiled several questions to explore experiences of computer users (see below). A summary of what I am wanting to look at are competency levels of users with computers, how they got into using them, the time they'll spend on them in a day, their challenges and how they manage them, their happiness in using them, their thoughts on the increasing functionality/pervasiveness of computers, and their opinions as to whether computing is any easier now. It would be great if you could give me some pointers as to suitable themes you think would make a good project--even if you were to challenge the title! Could you also tell me of the context in which you use computers (e.g., as a software developer, moderate user, etc.)? Thanks in advance for everyone's help. Here are the questions I would like to ask the community:
Thanks in advance for everyone's help.

Here are the questions I would like to ask the community:

-- Can you remember when you started using computers?

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with?

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were?

-- Do you have any challenges even now?

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies?

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?

--Submitted by Ronald G. of Warwick University in UK


If you would like to help out Ronald with his college project and answer his survey, click the link below and click the "reply" to submit your answers:

Discussion is locked

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here is my answer
Feb 12, 2011 3:44AM PST

1-Can you remember when you started using computers?
Yes I do recall the first time I encountered using a computer was in 1972 when I'd returned to college. It was after 8 years having dropped out from two disabling "accidents" in 1966.
The computer was the size of a gymnasium. I studied PL1 programming language and received an A for the course. My math abilities had gone from A to D so I could not pursue the Computer Sciences degree.
In 1978 after reading about advances in imaging technologies by Kodak, I assumed it was time to develop the personal PC.
I had postulated the micro chip in 1963 (three years before it was patented in a discussion in High School home room class with the fellow I sat next to).
Of course it was based on the transistor whose inventor got the 1966 patent for the microchip also.
In any case I'd recently been to a commercials filming television studio my fathers boss owned and managed that his secretary, a friend of mine also, worked at and had invited me there to see.
There I had seen the thumb nail size of the replacement of a microchip for great walls of tube circuitry, therefore it was easier to postulate small tech devices.
Coincidentally I was working on a sci-fi novel and the tech in the future was very relevant to future activities envisioned and described in that enterprise.
I hypothesized great advancements in technology as a result of the personal computer as it would make the market for tech much greater than the then limited uses for micro chips in the limited number of computers in use. This would prove profitable to techs speedy advancement and to Texas Instruments the major maker of chips who would eventually split to become Intel also.
As an aside, I had met the president of Texas Instrument at my dads home and I was sure he and my family (as dad was a share holder) would likely profit from an increasing Microchip market.
I sent my designs for a cell phone PC and notebook apparatus for students and others employed in such a manner to the Patent Office as instructed in my fiction writing class.
I then sent the designs to relevant companies.
Since the phone line was essential at the time for establishing cells for transmissions (also hypothesized, with designs for home Porto-phones from home transmitter bases, back in 1963 with that friend in high school home room) and at the time AT&T was the only company in the phone business I sent them my first cell phone computer designs.
They didn't respond and when I called and spoke to a representative a Mr. Ot denied AT&T receiving them.
When I sent Sony my Notebook designs they sent me a contract as a designer but when in my reply I mentioned ideas I'd sent another company (Sanyo) for a tape machine that loaded multiple tapes [before CD's, thought of originally by that high school friend in 1963, were available] and played selections randomly or as programmed, (before the contract and since Sanyo hadn't respond), Sony fired me for talking to another company, before I got a single pay check. Soon after that Sony came out with the notebook word processor.
I also notarized some drawings of some designs and then sent them to invention marketing but they wanted $500, (a fortune for a disabled person on a pension to pay), for market them.
I sent my Cell phone Computer designs to Apple around 1980 or so but didn't hear from them either.
My first PC was in 2000. It had been a promise I made myself for the millennium.
The first I bought crashed from a cameras bad software that I bought at the time.
The HP help line left me hours at full pay long distance than hung up on me so I returned that HP to office depot..
I got a Compaq at Best Buy, 64 megs of RAM, 15 gigs available memory and the CPU was under a gig maybe 600 megs (but I can't recall exactly what it was).
(My desk computer now has 4 gigs Ram, 500 gigs memory and about 2.2 gigs dual core)
The web camera crashed them too but the Help line got me up and right back online. Eventually I exchanged the camera for a Logitech.
I was up three days straight with the Compaq when I got it. It took awhile before I could get back into a normal sleep cycle. I got an 80 gig drive to upgrade the memory and enough RAM to have about 192 megabytes available. The machine was practical for about 4 years and worked somewhat for another 2 or three.

2-Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with?
It was an interesting path if not always easy.

3-Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were?
It was hard to adjust as far as adjusting sleeping and waking hours were concerned and hours spent on it instead of other occupations.
I'd bought it to work on novels but found less inclined to work on them then I'd expected (perhaps due to a greater need for other occupations at the time also), but otherwise I enjoyed most of my experiences and all the benefits from the PC's I've owned.

4 Do you have any challenges even now?
At the moment I can't think of any real challenges, on the new tech, that brings me down very much.
I've trouble dealing with the intricacies of lower resources and life's tolls on the older PC machine that still lives here when I'm using it.
I've life challenges in health and especially with memory that I find the computer most helpful in countering.

5 Did you/do you have any coping strategies?
I don't know that this will aid anyone else in coping with their problems but I've often allowed my days to get longer and my sleeping cycle to be longer for periods of weeks at a time.

6- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?
I feel like I've become my PC answering this question. The increased capacities and speed of the computer as well as the increased stability makes much of life a lot easier.

8-On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?
I average more than 8 hours a day with my computers usually and sometimes close to a whole day at a time.
At home I listen to music from Data disks on my DVD player or from a computer and watch TV shows with it as well as many movies.
There is a relatively cheap networked mini computer with sufficient tech for web HD streaming on my living room TV.
The computer is becoming more intricately interwoven in the daily grind of life.

9-Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?

Yes I do.

I hope my answers were helpful. Good luck on your survey paper.

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Why are computers still so difficult to use
Feb 12, 2011 3:49AM PST

Can you remember when you started using computers? 1980

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with? At first I kept trying to override the computer having been trained back in 1960 on a manual typewriter and progressing through to an electronic typewriter

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were? I found once I had taken a course in Word Processing I was able to progress quickly

-- Do you have any challenges even now? Yes, not with the computing but sometimes with the instructions with new and updated software

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies? Yes, I find someone to ask and once shown can manage

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now? There is always something new to learn but I enjoy the challenge, especially at my age of 66

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices? Sometimes just opening emails, other days editing lectures for others or using the PC for photography - so from 30 mins, to sometimes 4 or 5 hours

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now? It is so much easier when writing text to be able to alter mistakes, grammar, spelling or the whole set up of a subject

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Why are computer still so difficult to use?
Feb 12, 2011 4:31AM PST

-- Can you remember when you started using computers? 1997

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with? Relatively speaking, yes.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were? Not straightforward. Challenges are constant: as soon as you get used to a new operating system, the company (and your service provider) "upgrade," causing much frustration in figuring how the new system/application works and how to avoid bugs that come up; slow internet service-doesn't matter how powerful your computer is if there are problems getting to your ISP and doing searches;

-- Do you have any challenges even now? apps/programs written by the technos for technos; us non-techno savvy folk struggle to get these things to work properly

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies? yeah, avoid using the computer

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now? No, the earlier stuff was easier to understand and work with; it's gotten too complicated too quickly

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices? for work: 8 hrs

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now? Depends. If the computer is working properly and I'm able to find what I'm looking for, then yes.

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survey
Feb 12, 2011 4:34AM PST

-- Can you remember when you started using computers?
1968 - mainframe that filled a football field.
Pc's in 79 that I built from a kit (included
soldering of all components)
-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with?
Yes - I think, sort of. LOL
-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were?
Seems I had a gift for it.LOL
programming languages- mastered at Basic,Cobol
and direct machine language.

-- Do you have any challenges even now?
useing programs with bugs and poor functions.
Ie. Microsoft being the major offender.
-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies?
try new tricks, ask if anyone else has ideas,
read books for possible help.
-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you
faced are any easier to tackle now?
pretty much the same stuff whether it be pc's or
mainframe.
-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?
2 to 8 depending on the weather.
-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?
yes. Its just finding programs that can do the
jobs without hoops and problems. An example was
my last testing of Registry cleaners - the
majority I only give 2 or 3 stars to.

With my memory dropping off a bit, it is getting
harder to keep up and process the steps to take to
get thru problems. Or, like now - got a new W7 ult
and find that the code is blocked by MS - so monday
I will find out if it can be fixed without more $.
otherwise they can stuff it ! LOL

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answers
Feb 12, 2011 4:59AM PST

-- Can you remember when you started using computers?
It was a Commodore 64 in the early 80s, as well as an Apple at about the same time that was available in my elementary school

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with? for the basics it was pretty easy. I learned fairly quickly basic programming on the Apple as it was taught to us in 7th grade.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were? Not at all straightforward. It seems the more bells and whistles that were added, the more difficult it became to keep up with the computing changes - especially as a passive user in the late 80s/early 90s. A learned process would become the "wrong" way to do something within a year or two. Some challenges include different styles of computers over the decades until Windows became popular. That made things easier for a short time as virtually everyone was using it, so moving to a new work environment didn't require learning a completely new computing system (which was once the case).

-- Do you have any challenges even now? Absolutely. I switched to a Mac two years ago because every PC I bought was unreliable. So now I don't know how to do half of the things that took years to learn - things as simple as changing margins on a word processing document or uninstalling a file.

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies? Google search engine. As computers have gotten more difficult, at least finding the answers has become somewhat easier.

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now? The advent of Windows made those challenges easier, but with all the changes Microsoft has made over the years to try and become more like Apple they've instead made things more difficult for long term (and relatively old) customers.

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices? I use a computer approximately 2-3 hours each day.

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now? I appreciate the capabilities and possibilities. However I still find it disappointing that what seem to be simple tasks (like setting up a network printer) are sometimes still as maddeningly difficult as they were 20 years ago.

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My First PC Was Goldstar Intel 286 12 mhz in 1990!
Feb 12, 2011 5:02AM PST

I was so thrilled when the package came by Federal Express that I drove to the pickup station instead of letting him deliver it to my home!! Now, I had no problem getting the cables hooked up and turned it on. I thought I needed to install the DOS 3.1 operating system but it was already installed. I didnt understand that I had those floppy disks just in case I need to reinstall it. Anyway, I didnt know how to save a file, copy &paste and those very basic commands . Those menus freaked me out ! My brother in law showed me how to save a file and it was enough for me to pick up because once I understand that the computer is waiting for every one of my commands with a mouse click. It is just a dumb computer to boot. The computer needed my typing and clicks and that was pretty much the basics i need to know. Years later, with newer programs coming and going, I can manage to master a very small part of any program in general. Some programs are pretty easy and straghtforward and I could make full usage of it while others are pretty deep with indecipherable menu commnands that I never bothered to dig at all. Manual books like those idiot books are pretty limited at best. The Internet boomed in 1995 or later, and I bought my first dial up modem that can deliver 14 K bits per second or a page a second which I thought was pretty fast , then came DSL and cable that can delver millions of bits per second. Graphics splashed all over along with those annoying in your face advertsing banners that sometimes flash so bright that it half blind you as you try to read an aritlce on the side.. It was like watching TV show with advertsing at the same time.. I emailed curses at those advertisers!!! They are somewhat better now.. There come red light districts on line!! shopping, networking, blogging, anti virus and anti spyware, patches, updates etc.. I wonder what is next ,dude!!

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On the Mechanical Side of PC
Feb 12, 2011 5:12AM PST

To operate a computer is one thing.... To maintain a computer is a very different thing... I never had so much trouble overhauling my PCs over the years. Sometimes I bought a new system sometimes I replace motherboards , hard drives, monitors, keyboards, mice ,etc to keep up with the ever changing technology . I reused old parts in old PCS into even older ones.. because of old programs that I want to keep that can no longer be run in newer PCs. I just stuffed obsolete programs in those older PCS and socked them away. I never recycle old hard drives because they are great as external hard drives no matter how small they are like 500 mb or 2.5 gb drives. My home is a PC junkyard!!

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Why computers are still so difficult to use ...
Feb 12, 2011 5:43AM PST

-- Can you remember when you started using computers?
Yes. 1968 - a reclaimed mini-computer, thought beyond repair. But, when I found the technical manuals inside the cabinet, it wasn't too hard to fix.

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with?
Yes, the documentation was much better than it is now.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were?
Not straightforward at all. Changing from different operating systems and even manufacturers makes understanding the new systems very difficult.

-- Do you have any challenges even now?
Yes, the syntax of common processes is always being changed. Seemingly in order to avoid the possibility of re-usable equipment/code/knowledge.

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies?
Yes. Learning that "new" is seldom better, and giving a great deal of consideration to things before I jump ship and attempt to replace something that is already working quite well for that which is newer and "seemingly" faster.

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?
Not really. The business plans and marketing strategies of most modern businesses are designed to make life more complicated while appearing to solve more problems, even though they have created many more problems.

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?
Between 8 and 14 hours.

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?
Yes and no. Most of the perceived need is invalid.

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Difficult in what way?
Feb 12, 2011 6:04AM PST
Can you remember when you started using computers?

Ti-99/4a when I was a wee little tyke. It had some games, and programming much beyond "hello world" was quite obtuse. The computer I can honestly count as actually being able to do things with was the Atari 130-XE my parents got when I was around 8 years old.

Being that I started out with 8-bit and 16-bit computers where each had a completely different paradigm... I consider it an advantage since it made me OS-agnostic later on. When more "modern" computers came about, I could care less about some things as long as it does what I want it to do. GUI based approaches made that real simple, since it minimized having to figure out differences in commands or syntax. Regardless, it's the application software where the nitty-gritty is.

Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with?

Not that terrible. You just have to dive in. Not only is this true for learning a computer, but for operating systems and any other piece of software. You can only be good at using something once you become familiar. This is true for any other activity. For instance, riding a bicycle can be difficult before you put enough time in to figure it out.

I will admit I find some software more frustrating to use than others, and I have given up on them at times - particularly if I've already used and have access to suitable alternates. (Generally it happens when the time investment involved outweighs advantages or novel features one software has vs. another.)

Oh- some people have problems interfacing, and that can be due to some related skills. For instance, I went and took a high school typing course when I was 10 years old. And this is because (get this!) I wanted to. It definitely has made life easier later on. If that is what is keeping you down, taking a class and learning to type properly (as in touch typing w/o looking at the keyboard) will seriously help you out.

Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were?
Do you have any challenges even now?


Both of these questions overlap. For most things, it is straight forward. If there's a learning-curve type challenge, it's time to "Read The Fine Wink Manual" (for lack of a better phrase) instead of brick-walling myself. If a manual isn't available or clear, using a search engine and the internet is the next best thing. (It can be a problem if your query results are spam-happy, but then you just have to limit your search to forums and wikis.)

Usually when I have "real" problems, it's not so much the computer but rather getting things set up such that I can actually do productive things with the computer. In most cases these are one-time tasks, so I'm not overly familiar with them. Things like setting up a printer or adding other device software for something like a graphics card. What's also frustrating is when updates come about that completely break things that were working just fine. Like Windows XP SP3 that broke my wireless drivers, or the latest Ubuntu update or two that totally fudged all the icons and panels on the desktop. I don't blame the computer, but rather lazy programmers that release things without thinking and considering the cases in which their software is used.

Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?

The concept of "Plug n' Play" is almost what it says now. So yes, some things have become a lot better. Not entirely perfect, but there's always room for things to improve.

On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?

Many hours. Not only for work, but many of my hobbies are on the computer. I don't really program, but making art and music on the computer is something I enjoy. I have to force myself to take a break and do some other things to stay active. (My body will let me know if I've been sitting around too long. Then it's time to get outdoors and go for either a walk or bike ride.)

Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?

I can appreciate a lot of it. But too much is still being implemented poorly or when not necessary. It really depends on each individual case. There should also be some redundancy and fallback for those odd times when the computers aren't working.
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Some things have become a lot easier too
Feb 12, 2011 6:53AM PST

Odd to reply to my own post, but I felt it was worth appending my answer to a question since I don't see any way of editing after posting.

Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?

And yes, some challenges have become much much easier. Not because of the nature of the computer, but because of social and community developments which have taken place primarily on the internet. Mainly the free open source software movement and it's ability to access the wealth of what may be unlimited intellectual resources. I used to be completely locked out of doing certain things on the computer simply because I could not afford the software needed to do those things. Now, by knowing where to find open source software (mostly Sourceforge) and utilizing internet search skills, much commercial software may have an equal or even superior open source based rival for doing the same task(s). Thanks to the work of open source developers, my horizons have expanded in capability where my own personal budget had failed before. In essence the computer has fully become an unlocked multipurpose tool. (Even for those who don't know how to program.) Open Office, Gimp, Notepad++, Wings 3D, Blender, Audacity, VirtualDub, LMMS, Inscape, Scribus, Ubuntu, FireFox, Pidgin, are amongst my list of wonderful things when it comes to software.

Some commercial developers may argue this is a bad thing as it could saturate or perhaps "poison" a market, but I see it as raising the bar. Open source now sets the minimum standard. If you can't develop anything that is truly unique, has a higher standard of quality, or offers better ease of use; don't be surprised that people are no longer willing to pay for it. In other words, the pastures available for grazing in the commons have become much greener as of late.

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Why are computers so difficult to use.
Feb 12, 2011 6:41AM PST

--Can you remember when you started using computers? Yes Mainframes in 1976.

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with? As my working experience increased the process became easier.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were? The journey was straightforward, until the advent of the PC. When the client server model appeared this required a new approach to my work.

-- Do you have any challenges even now? Prior to my retirement I was working on cleaning up a redesign from mainframe to client/server and was still encountering some challenges.

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies? Usually the reason I had to cope was lack of knowledge. So I used any strategy available to gain the necessary knowledge.

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now? Yes my main challenge was my timing. Being trained on mainframes the subsequent switch to client/server required a different knowledge set. Now schools don't bother teaching mainframe technology any longer.

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices? When I was working it was about 9 to 10 hours. Since I retired (2007) its been about 7 hours but now it's for fun, and not work.

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now? YES! On mainframes the only way users could control an application is through an input screen that had to be designed for that application. Then the user had to wait till the next day to see the results of the application usually on paper. With GUIs the user will find it much easier to control an application, and most times get the result immediately. In addition the equipment has become much more affordable so now it's available for any size business.

I'd just like to make a comment on the original question.
Why are computers still so difficult to use? One of the major problems I always encountered in my career seems to still be happening today. There seems to me to be a major disconnect between computer users, and the providers of the software. The software providers think they always know what the user needs, but never seem to listen to the user. In addition the software providers could do a much better job on error messages.

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Great Question
Feb 12, 2011 8:00AM PST

What a wonderful question!! First, I would like to thank you for asking such an interesting and challenging question. I wish you much, much luck with your research. Second, "why are computers so hard to use." Well, that is a "loaded" question! Some people will take naturally to the computing process, while others will not.

Back in the 80's, we donated an old C-64, parts, and software to a friend who did not even know what a computer was, or could do. Within 3 months, he had learned more than we had in the 3 years we had that computer. Today, he is highly respected network administrator and we go to him for advice.

-- Can you remember when you started using computers?
IBM mainframe in the late 70's. My first PC based, home computer was in the early-80's and I became addicted.

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with?
Yes. Because to me it was "fun" and interesting.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were?
Pretty much straightforward. I continued to learn and grow with each new system.

-- Do you have any challenges even now?
The biggest challenge I face today is the re-writing of software, ostensibly to be more "user friendly" but the end result is sadly the opposite. Also, the ability to "point and click" on anything, anywhere. In my experience, that is too easily done and too easily can lead to trouble.

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies?
Discussions with colleagues, online search ability to find help, newsletters and such.

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?
Yes and no. See the answer to the previous question. However, answers are sometimes not easily found, and sometimes can't be found. In the older days, things were simpler and sometimes you could figure it out on your own. In today's world that is harder to do because, overall, software/hardware has become more complicated.

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?
I work in front a computer, then come home and "play" with a computer, so it's about 10 to 12 hours for me.

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?
Yes, I do appreciate the fact that so much is available today. But at the same time, it is almost "too much." Do we really need to know what each one of us is doing at the exact second it's being done?! Today's technology is great, but I think we need to take a break from it sometimes and pay more attention to the other things in life.

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COMPUTERS NO LONGER DIFFICULT TO USE
Feb 12, 2011 7:47AM PST

-- Can you remember when you started using computers? I started using desktop computers way back in 1988, with a publishing house. The publishing house was not that highly capable of buying high tech equipments then. So we use computers to encode texts, then cut and paste according to the design.

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with? With the fast developments, everything's getting easier to do with computers lately. One can complete his job in less than a few minutes.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were? My very first challenge was when the harddisk got deleted after using a command with the DOS COMMAND. My back up files saved me from a much much bigger consequence.

-- Do you have any challenges even now? For me, I won't call it a challenge. When you buy any equipment, there is always that point of getting acquainted with it and its processes. In everything we do, we normally experience the same. And be it an upgrade nor a new one... the challenge it poses is the same: adapt to its new functionalities and features. The great challenge I can see here is HOW CAPABLE AND OPEN THE USER IS FOR THE LATEST FUNCTIONALITIES AND FEATURES.

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies? RESEARCH, READING IN ADVANCE ARE MY FIRST STEPS IN COPING WITH THE NEW FUNCTIONALITIES AND FEATURES TECHNOLOGY POSES.

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now? DEFINITELY!

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices? MY WORK USE COMPUTERS AND MY PART TIME JOB NEEDS COMPUTERS. I BASICALLY WORK 20 HOURS PER DAY.

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now? YES. THANKS TO THOSE CREATIVE MINDS WHO KEEPS ON DEVELOPING APPLICATIONS AND SOFTWARES FOR MAKING OUR JOB EASY.

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long-time user
Feb 12, 2011 12:54PM PST

Note: Your sample here is probably much more computer-savvy than average.

- Can you remember when you started using computers? teletype timeshare BASIC 1972

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with? I was always interested in getting "productive" work out of a computer.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were? Many, many small learning steps along the way. Most consistent problem is designer trying to "simplify" the interface and it does things I don't expect, want, or control.

-- Do you have any challenges even now? Figuring out how to stop the computer from making the wrong assumption about what I want done - formatting, spelling, where files get saved, linking web templates to what's supposed to be a simple text file.

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies? Keep pushing for simplest. Move away from anything proprietary or using hidden controls.

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices? 8-10 hours. Most of the day at work. Much of my free time when not with my kids or riding my bike.

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now? Just making the transition to "the cloud." Another subtle shift of expectations.

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Why are computers so difficult to use?
Feb 12, 2011 1:31PM PST

Started using computers in 1985. First machine was an IBM PC-XT, had a monochrome monitor, operating system was DOS (not MS-DOS) but the version Microsoft developed for IBM. It was a company supplied computer but I wanted to use graphics to play games (had a in home office then and would play games at night)> To enable graphics I bought and installed a Hercules Graphics board and switched that out later for a "All-In-One" graphics card, I also installed additional memory. When I was "laid off" from that job, I put all the original equipment back in and sold the stuff I added to a used computer parts dealer. My next machine was an Atari 1040, great little computer had colour graphics and a "Windows" like operating system from Atari. Used it until Atari collapsed and then had a IBM 486 PC. Operating system was MS-DOS version 7 and MS Windows 3.1. Replaced that with a Intel Pentium 4 running Windows 95 which I upgraded to Windows Me.

I wouldn't say it was an easy process but it wasn't too difficult either. As a home user and "gamer" I was always upgrading and problem solving. Self taught myself how to use DOS, Windows 95, Me and Windows XP. Windows was a tricky operating system that suffered from OSD (operating system decay), you usually had to format your hard drive and re-install Windows 95/Me every couple of years. Otherwise the system just kept getting bogged down and would run slower and slower. Windows XP is a much stabler system. Over the years I have purchased and installed memory modules, hard drives, graphics cards and sound cards. Not too difficult to do if you take the time to research, read and learn.

Biggest challenges I've seen were overcoming "computer fear", a problem I didn't suffer from but some of my colleagues never got over. "Computer fear" is being so afraid of doing something wrong that you don't do anything at all.

I use a computer at work and then spend my evenings "gaming". So computer time is 10 to 12 hours per day.

I appreciate that the new operating systems are making computers increasingly user friendly. The advent of the Internet and WWW which makes research and computer problem solving so much easier. The ability to send and receive Email is another great inovation for communication and staying in touch with people. I think people in general and espcially the younger generation should use more caution about what information they are putting "out there" through Facebook, Twitter, cell phone and texting.

Hope this helps your university project.

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(NT) Why are computers so hard to use.
Feb 12, 2011 2:49PM PST
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Because they are designed that way!
Feb 12, 2011 3:15PM PST

I started with serious computers in 84 programming R-base and d-Base on 8086 machines. I awaited with baited breath for the 286, 386 and then the 486, believing in the zero-wait state. But what has happened for twenty-five years is that the complexity of software always outpaces the speed to process it. And only a fractional percentage of the populace can use the extra features behind the upgrades. Who amond you uses any more features of a 2007 word proceesor than he did in 1995? And the amount of malware security required for a false peace of mind has slowed processing even worse. It takes the same amount of time to open up Outlook with an i-X chip as it did in 1995 with x86 - from scratch without a preload. The PC industry is controlled to keep the hardware and sofware flowing at the expense of speed, security and ease of use. I have built the fastest computer I've ever owned with an i-7 core, 8 gig mem on WIn-XP, Win 7-32 and Win 7-64 OS's for editing and my computer still crashes daily as if it's still 1995. And the sad thing is is that Box-store tech sales reps will blindly tell newbies that the biggest difference between a Mac and a PC is that a Mac is more secure but they don't know why. And what is to me the biggest infraction in the software industry is the purposely dumbing down of OS systems for the masses. Let them learn. Don't penalize me and insult my inteligence. AND PLEASE... GET RID OF THE "Are You Sure.....?" GUI buttons!! It's 2011 for God's sake!

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Because
Feb 13, 2011 4:30AM PST

Ahmen - LOL - I have been saying that for decades. thought I was the only one
that saw it. around 84-ish I was working on a package that would have been better than
wordperfect - I only had about 4 months of work/testing and free download on a bulletin
board before getting packageing set up for Xmas sales. but - I had a wife that had no concept of work now - make bucks later - gave me a giant lashing - wordperfect came out
on a big bulletin board and the market took off. needless to say I got another lashing
when I stupidly point it out to her. LOL she's history now just like everything else.
I hate MS updates - I think the programers - oops =excuse me - engineers - LOL make
changes cause they are bored - do stuff just for the sake of - what I dont know.
I dont do security updates - if the virus pgms dont catch it nothing will and all
they do is expand the size of the system - and sneak in other little 'fixes' that
tend to piss me off and slow things down. Less code - faster operation.
In my begging years I programmed with cpu cycles a priority.
but back then you really had to since the 8086's were not exactly speed demons LOL

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computers difficult to use
Feb 12, 2011 3:18PM PST

Can you remember when you started using computers?
Yes I can remember.

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with? YES

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were? It's been pretty straightforward. Challenges I have had mainly deal with non-computer people. To this day I have to help my wife and friends on the PC.

-- Do you have any challenges even now? The main challenge I have today are co-workers that have little or no PC experience (our job is 90% computer use). It's difficult enough to understand the company software but when people don't know what re-boot means among other things then it makes it harder.

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies?
Not really.

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?
Huh ? The challenges I faced when I started are irrelevant to today. How could the challenges I faced then be harder now anyway ? You are asking if the challenges I faced in the 70's would be easier now ? Hindsight is always 20/20. If I knew now what I knew then, I'd be living next door to Bill Gates..LOL

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?
Just what do you mean by computer devices ? Between my Smartphone, laptop, work and home PC, just about every minute I'm awake.

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?
yes/no

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why are computers so difficult to use
Feb 12, 2011 6:14PM PST

1. 1996. Had to type college BTEC assignments. Computer cost

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Computer use
Feb 12, 2011 9:41PM PST

I started in 1989 using a DOT portable computer. Programs were in BASIC which I had to master. Not easy. I moved on thru Windows OSs up to Win7.I have built my last 3 computers. Computers have gotten easier to use. I research genealogy, do my banking, social networking etc now. I spend about 2 hours a day on the computer.

Challenge now is to solve hardware and software glitches when they arise.

I am 82 years old and believe using this rig keeps my mind sharp.

**** Barak
St Francis, MN

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My answers
Feb 12, 2011 11:28PM PST

I started using computers in 1986. The Atari 800XL/XE home computer. It had 64k of RAM.

It wasn't an easy process because computers were not used in schools when I attended. I had never typed a word on a keyboard before.

Not an easy learning curve. Challenges were learning to type (why are keyboard keys not alphanumeric A,B,C, etc). I learned through a book called Mapping the Atari which taught me how computers work and how to program them.

The only coping was to 'knuckle down' and get on with it. The only help/support I had was a monthly magazine called Page 7, which had features, some type in programs (boy I spent days typing in code just for a simple text based adventure game).

I interact with PCs all day, every day.

Appreciate computers - very much so. I do my finaces online, my shopping online and I even met my wife through an IM. She was in Mexico, I am in UK.

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Why are computers still so difficult to use
Feb 12, 2011 11:47PM PST

Can you remember when you started using computers?
1989

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with?
Yes, I took to it like a duck to water.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were?
More or less yes! Figuring out why the computer was doing something I didn't want it to do.
-- Do you have any challenges even now?
The computer is doing things for reasons unknown.

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies?
Yes, read a lot, install & uninstall. Ask others for help.

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?
Yes, much easier

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?
7 hours

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?
Yes

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Looking Back Question Six
Feb 13, 2011 12:24AM PST

Hi! Ronald. Looking back, after starting computing in 1994.I realy,do think that certain programs, that are available to use today. That are free,take for instance "Face Book"
I think programs like these make things very easy for somebody, to learn.How to use a computer without even thinking.
Personaly i do not use "Face Book"but in this way, i can see these type of programs.Do have this affect.
Lot's of luck.
Ronald.
jororich

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Why computers are hard to use.
Feb 13, 2011 1:00AM PST

Lee;

Computers only do what we program them to do. Again and again and again. Many of us, don't program them well. None of us program the way you or I would which means that most of the time they are not intuitive for us to use. Combine that with the fact the whenever we program a computer, we're adding a program to an operating system, or a compiler, or an IDE, or using an interpretive or embedded language, written by someone else. This makes it extremely easy for our own applications to incorrectly call or assume something about the former applications resulting in a bug in our own code. Hopefully the bug shows up by crashing your code until you fix it. The worst case is when the bug is intermittent or doesn't show up until you've offloaded the program to a client. Even worse is a hardware and software interaction that doesn't show up until thousands of systems are in the field making it terribly expensive to find and fix.

My first computer was a Motorola 6800 SDK kit my Jr year of college. An 8 bit processor with 128 bytes of RAM, 2K of PROM, no disks...

Its never easy to get a grip on it. That first computer drove me crazy trying to figure out how 3 registers resided at only two addresses. A bit in one of the registers controlled which register was being addressed at the other address.

I'm currently challenged with teaching HS students Netbeans and JAVA for USFirst Robotics. Last year we programmed our robot in C++. I don't program for a living so understanding objects was tough. Today we're looking into inheritance and extending an object class to get around a protected procedure. This is a great example of complexity. I have no understanding of why the original code is coded as a protected feature. Yet we need to access this, or think we do, in order to investigate using a different component. To do this correctly requires understanding all of the code for the original component plus all of its inherited features.

I use a computer every day. Don't program often except during the USFirst FRC competition. Or unless I need too for my job.

Its not easier now. OS's change and update daily. That may crash something you wrote or paid for. To me updates indicate that the original software was released in an unfinished form. Its another instance of how I would never design it. (Just yesterday Windows 7 update kicked me off to perform an update without me being able to stop it. I've since disabled it).

One of my coping methods is to install Linux. I had a Fedora Core 4 system that ran for 8 years without updates. Nada. It became obsolete when my bank required a newer version of Firefox. Now its running Fedora Core 10 and soon we'll be using it with Ubuntu 8.04. The system will be running in a stand-alone mode so once its on Ubuntu it may never be updated again. But it won't be used to surf either.

Eventually my wife and I will both have laptops for surfing, and other systems for backup and development. When the laptops crash we'll re-image them. Maybe I'll work on an Ubuntu version that doesn't have any memory for safe surfing.

I do appreciate all of the software I use to do my job. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JMP, Matlab, Visual C, Netbeans, Java, Gimp, Photoshop, Adobe Reader, Firefox, plus Google, Micropatent, Infosource, Libraries. Each app enables me to study how things work in a way that we couldn't even think of when I was in High School.


The newer tools or updates are rarely desired. For instance Office 2007 with the ribbon is no better than Office 2003 without the ribbon. Worse it required figuring out where all of the old methods I used to know went too. I recently used Autodesk Inventor though and its implementation of the Ribbon, where I didn't know anything about prior versions, is excellent. Hovering over a ribbon icon brings up a video showing hints on what that icon does. MS didn't do me any service or make me more efficient by their abomination of 2007 though. Nor does waiting for updates, or dismissing annoying notices, nor waiting to boot, or requiring antivirus and firewalls and antispywhere loading up a single core processor and make it terribly obsolete. Not only does it slow us down, but it causes us to trash computers that were perfectly capable of browsing, email, and creating documents. Instead we fill up our landfills.

The social media thing is our next headache. I log into yahoo mail and get a notice that some female wishes to connect with me. Note my yahoo mail account doesn't have my real name, nor my sex, nor my age. There is no reason for this, other than yahoo trying to compete with Facebook, which I no longer use. Each click, to decline connection, confirm decline, and close the screen, is a waste of time. Multiplied by thousands of users with no means to turn this connection request off other than not to use yahoo mail.

In my ideal world where I design your software the computer becomes our slave and only does what we want it to do instead of requiring us to bend to it. Our time becomes the its primary concern. The computer lasts until it burns out and not until an update doesn't install. Millions of computers are usable forever instead of becoming landfill.

Good Luck with your project.

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Computers CAN be difficult to use
Feb 13, 2011 1:11AM PST

That is, for someone who has never seen one before and is not taking a class. Not too many years ago, I had to deach someone to use a mouse! But first, some answers:

-- Can you remember when you started using computers? YES. Oh, you mean when.. 1967

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with? For me it was. You just keypunched the cards and ran them through the reader.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were? Mostly straightforward. Biggest challenge: finding time.

-- Do you have any challenges even now? Mostly convincing people that they really do need to look at data security.

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies? I always assume that I can be hacked while connected, especially when shopping or banking online.

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now? It is all the same. A mainframe, today, is a super-server. With everyone connected now, there are some big challenges in security and privacy.

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices? About 18 hours. I work in IT and have computers at hoe. Drive a car? There are computers in there. ATM machine? OK, I have to sleep sometime.

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now? Yes. Although computers (not necessarily the PC) and the internet have been around for a long time, there wasn't much to do except business applications before the WEB came about in the 90's.

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Coping with Computers
Feb 13, 2011 4:21AM PST

Started using computers in 1972.
Easy process? Yes, mostly, but early software was not always easy to use until WYSIWYG.
Journey: straightforward overall, though I was an early adopter of a non-Microsoft software platform, so it was a pain to have to convert everything to a Microsoft platform when the other became obsolete
Challenges now: software that obsolesces and the new version isn't compatible; upgrading one software or hardware that then forces upgrading of other software or hardware; programs that make other programs stop working or uninstall other programs that I still want to use (like my scanner software did to my digital camera software)
Coping: try to avoid buying new soft- or hardware; keep older computers around.
Challenges easier today? Not really. Obsolescence is still a big problem.
Typical day: 12 plus hours
Extended functionality: the funny thing is I remember what it was like not to have them. They are so convenient--which I like--but sometimes I just want to turn it off and have a life. A real life.

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Sounds like a good project. Good Luck.
Feb 13, 2011 5:22AM PST

-- Can you remember when you started using computers?

1977, on the DTSS timesharing mainframe at Dartmouth College.

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with?

Yes. The interactive nature of using computer, with the immediate feedback, allowed me to learn by trial and error. My only prior experience was submitting punch cards for my programming class at college in the early 1970's.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were?

Yes, I adapted from timesharing to workstation (for graphics) to personal computers (IBM PC and clones) without too much trouble, working with programming languages like BASIC, FORTRAN, PASCAL, PL/1 and C; until the graphical interface became de facto, and things got so complicated that I just gave up.

-- Do you have any challenges even now?

Yes, whenever these off-the-shelf software does not give you exactly what you want. So, everything is a compromise now, adjusting your needs to what those software are capable of delivering.

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies?

Using as few software as I can get by with, to avoid frustration and disappointment.

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?

Not at all. I can deal with straightforward programming issues, (in fact, I enjoyed the challenges,) Now, you need all these software tools or platforms that requires yet another learning curve. It is like having to learn how to solve problems again and again.

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?

6 hours?

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?

Yes and no. I can really survive without ever leaving my home, but there in also lies the curse.

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I started small and worked my way up.
Feb 13, 2011 7:24AM PST

Hi Ronald,
I started computing on the Spectrum 48 (48k memory) and found that easy to use with its Basic language and easy access chipset. There were a few books and magazines on programming and games, software was available for assembly and compiling machine code.
From this start I graduated to the Amiga with added internal hard drive and external cd, better graphics and memory, but no connection to the budding internet. Programming got more complex, but still fun, plenty of game suppliers and magazines.
In 2001, I moved over to a PC, better graphics and speed (PS2 processor 1gb Memory), Internet access. A steep learning curve that came with a new operating system (Windows 98), problems with having to do backups. Why was this not an integral part of the operating system, instead of having to have it done by third party software ?.
Coping strategies, chat with friends, read magazines, check online forums.
Problems - I would still like to program , but there are so many languages out there it is hard to know what is best suited for a particular task and the online tutorials are not straitforward to understand.
The software was less complex and easier to use, lower resolution screens and less hardware to have to contend with. Basic programming enabled you to be creative easier. We now have fantastic processing power, but have less ease of access. (Maybe Linux is the answer, but that seems to be at the other end of the scale, programmability but less stability).
Another upgrade to PS4, 2gb of memory and XP,I spend between 1 to 2 hours on the compuer a day at home, split between mail and hobbies, web site work (updates and adding) and generally surfing.
I think that the computer prices are being kept artificially high. I do not use a smart phone or a tablet, due to cost, but I certainly see them as an advantage.
Good luck with the project.

Ivor Cogdell

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Why are computers still so difficult to use?
Feb 13, 2011 11:33AM PST

-- Can you remember when you started using computers?
Started 1969

-- Would you say this was an easy process to get to grips with?

Main frames were easier then laptops and desktop because you can do so much more. More bells and whistles.

-- Since then, has your journey been straightforward, and if not, can you remember what some of your challenges were?

There is a learning curve with any new equipment and systems but if you can master one you can learn the next one.

-- Do you have any challenges even now?

Sometimes but mainly with software acting up. The hardware has become more user friendly.

-- Did you/do you have any coping strategies?

Just stick with the problem and read, read read, sometimes you just have to take a chance and climb out on a limb. Document what you did take notes.

-- Looking back, do you think the challenges you faced are any easier to tackle now?

Different more then easier. I just scratch the surface compared to what I read other people do in networking.

-- On a typical day, how long will you be interacting with computer devices?

I use a laptop in the field at work most of the day to turn up and repair equipment and adding info to databases. Then at home for several hours doing personal stuff.

-- Do you appreciate the extended functionality/increasing pervasiveness of computing now?

Very much it make my job easier. I still like paper manuals better then on computer screens.