Over the past few years really cheap computers , laptops and net books and things like facebook's popularity encouraging people to go online have reached a point where stupid people now have access to sites and forums.

All the old scams and chain mails are new to these fools , sprouting racist, sexist bile is all new to these cretins.

These are fools who actually say "lol " in conversation because they think it makes them cool, they send you a million requests to go on farmville because they think they are "down with the kids"

They make age old mistakes that are obvious to anyone..i clicked this email in my junk and now my computer doesn't work etc.

They think because they have learned the magic of copy and pasting they should do that for everything! and now they are a tech expert. yet they can't use google to find anything.

phewwww feel a bit better after that rant.

It seems as if stupidity is a disease and everyone has it. :(

Know what you mean

lol

I got my first computer in 95 and finally took the time to learn to use it in 98. I sat for hours at a computing forum and MSN computer chatroom every night for a few years.

Around 2003 i thought "what sucks about me investing all this time into computers is that all the kids today will grow up knowing all about computers and my skills will be worthless".

To my surprise... kids today know nothing about computers. They know facebook. The masses are finally online and they only know facebook. They dont really know what facebook is or how to use it but they know enough about it to spend hours allowing games and apps and clicking links they shouldn't.

I bet i could earn a good living as a freelance virus remover. Just move into a wealthy highrise and pass out my business card.

Everyone uses computers, but the number of people that actually KNOW computers are still quite few, and the ratio between USERS and KNOWERS continues to widen.

My parents bought me my first computer in 1988, and the first time I tinkered on my own was probably 1993 or 1994 when I upgraded a motherboard on a 486. So I'm used to the old days of maximizing DOS free user memory (and the fact that there were two different kinds of extended memory), dealing manually with IRQ conflicts and knowing, for example, that if you weren't using the PS/2 mouse port you could reclaim IRQ 12... or how about if you added SET DIRCMD=/o:gne to your autoexec.bat file your file lists would be nice and sorted.

All of that doesn't do me any good today, but I still build my own PCs and do my own troubleshooting. I used to build computers for friends, but I refuse to build low-end, cheap systems, and no one wants to pay for quality any more. So it's a lot easier to send them to CostCo or Dell or whatever, and for the next couple of years let *their* technical support help them through issues.

Still, when someone I know has a problem, I always get a phone call. Just this weekend a friend's laser printer dropped off their network and, by phone, I had to figure out what was wrong and solve it. Thank goodness for Skype!

I work in an IT shop and I agree that most folks are still cluelss about computers.  Knowing how to use software, send email, facebook or Google whatever doesn't make you computer savvy.  Though most think it does.  There is a whole other technical side which software over the years has incresingly masked to the end user.  I makes it easier for the ignorant to get themselves into trouble.

We lock down our environment hard to preven all this malware and junk.  We stay clean because we protect the users for themselves.  Most issues I see with malware are moslty related to browsing habits and the sites you visit.  I personally have friends and family that are repeat offenders for all this crap because they can't follow simple protocol when it comes to using the internet.   

I would agree, to a degree, but does one really need to know how a car is made and runs in order to be a proficient driver? 



How glad am I that the children are now grown up and old enough to screw up their own computers.

I think the issue is that these people think that they actually know something. In discussion, with an idiot, on an other thread he was saying something like "In today’s society in order to find a job in the US people need computer skills" now that might not sound stupid, and I agree with it since many jobs will require some work on computers (be it true knowledge of how a computer works or even good knowledge of work apps), but the discussion was about streaming movies (Netflix to be exact) and he was equating it to gaining work skills

Compared to some I've seem fumbling around on keyboards it is, but I get your drift.

I wasnt saying everyone needs to know the ins and outs about how all the behind the scenes stuff takes place.  I work with plenty of people who know their applications inside and out, which I have no clue how to run them.  There are a few that think since they have this narrow focus of knowledge it equates to some a technical knowledge they don't really posess.  I've interviewed plenty people that think they can shift from an data entry/clerical type job function into a role of a PC technician or something because they use a compouter in their job and at home.  Unless they have extensive personal experience they can't ever make it past the technical portion of the interview.  I'm not saying they couldn't learn it I just can't give them a year to get up to speed with my other guys and then they have to keep up with an ever changing environment on top of that. 

Fortunately I well aware of my limitations. Your comments, though, brings to mind a story told to me (as a young whipper-snapper) by one of the old hand electricians where I work.

Years before, when working elsewhere, his then foreman came to him with a new employee, the go with Fred, he'll show you the ropes type of thing. Mr. X duly went along with Fred, though suspicions were immediately aroused by the contents of his "tool kit" - a screwdriver, a pair of pliers and a pair of scissors.

"Right", said Fred, "let's see what you can do. Wire up that starter."
"Can't. Don't know how."
"Well, what about that motor?"
"Can't. Don't know how."
"Well, what about..." And so it went on for several more questions until, exasperated, Fred declared, "I thought you said you were and electrician?"
"Well, I wired up the light in my bedroom!"

Yeah, the same thing happened with democracy some time after 1800, I forget exactly when i haven't kepp up with things

There are intelligent people on the internet?

I got to the point where i was building my own PC and kept it fast by keeping data on 1 drive and using mirroring software to go back in time to a fresh OS and software installation. 1 thing i was particularly proud of was having a windows me machine that loaded the desktop in less than 30 seconds and never crashed once in 3 years.

Today though... I cringe at the thought of buying a new computer let a lone building one. The excitement to get a new toy has been replaced by the dread of reinstalling software and tracking down book marks and any data that didnt end up on my D: drive. I dont want to know anything about computers today. I just want them to work. I want to invest my time in learning applications and leave the hardware and OS to someone else.