[Ipg-smz] Why I love Apple?

[Gabe Goldberg]

Are those of us who've for decades used and/or written about technology 
digital immigrants? As was pointed out, our generation invented and 
documented what's now foundational to everything new and shiny and 
intriguing digital natives. More distinctions than age are needed -- you 
blitzed through Wi-Fi setup which baffled the supposed native. Maybe 
there are natives, pioneers/veterans, and immigrants?

To echo again -- To echo Jason, I am amazed at how "civilians" can make 
their computers work in any form of fashion in many cases. Feel 
embarrassed that technology, and the major vendors, still make things so 
difficult. -- amen. Looking at most interfaces and meager or 
non-existent documentation, I marvel that most people get anything working.

Regarding documentation -- being old-school, I expect it. So I just 
ranted to Samsung CEO about my new 49" TV:

included one-page cartoonish no-words setup instructions and a 21-page 
“User Manual” most of which describes installation, setup, 
troubleshooting and maintenance, specifications, and warranty information.

Helpfully, it does note that the TV itself contains a real manual; I 
downloaded that from website and paid FedEx Office too much to print it 
(in color). It's 143 pages -- so without it, one never discovers/masters 
all features. And who'll read that either on the set or on a screen?

And (returning to this thread's actual Subject) -- Apple's just as bad, 
skimping on documentation.

On 1/17/2019 3:01 PM, Mitch Wagner wrote:
> My introduction to the peculiarities of digital immigrants (our 
> generation) vs. digital natives (the young people) was 10+ years ago, 
> in two incidents.
>
> Our neighbors across the street had their granddaughter, then aged 14, 
> living with them for a few months while Mom dried out, and they asked 
> for my help setting up WiFi. Sure, I said, and configured their laptop 
> and WiFi router. A simple operation, took me about 15 minutes, and yet 
> the 14-year-old digital native was completely bamboozled by it.
>
> I also advised the grandddaughter that it was not a good idea to have 
> Facebook as her home page. Not if she wanted privacy from Grandma and 
> Grandpa.
>
> Second incident: At about the same time I joined Facebook myself, and 
> one night, troubled by insomnia, I was in my home office doing random 
> browsing through Facebook's "Suggested Friends" list. This was about 3 
> am. My niece, then a college freshman and 17 years old, came up on the 
> list. I gave it a microsecond of thought, said "sure, why not?" and 
> sent a friend request.
>
> This set off a MAJOR FAMILY CONTROVERSY. My niece went to her mother 
> who went to my wife. My niece was concerned I'd be spying on her and 
> reporting everything to her Mom.
>
> I said to my wife. "Weeeeeeeelllll if it's just college bullshit, of 
> course I wouldn't report it. If she said she got drunk last night and 
> was puking and was sooooo hung over, well, kids do that in college and 
> I wouldn't report that either. But if she says she met a 46-year-old 
> man and they're soooooo in love and getting married tomorrow, yeah, 
> I'd be on the phone to her mother so fast that it'd break the 
> lightspeed barrier."
>
> P.S. I lost track of the neighbor after both grandparents passed away. 
> That family has had hard times and struggled with addiction; I hope 
> the mother and little girl are doing well. As for my niece, she's a 
> doctor now and runs a medical clinic in Baltimore!
>
>
> -- 
>
> Mitch Wagner <http://MitchWagner.com>  • Twitter 
> <http://www.Twitter.com/mitchwagner> • Facebook 
> <http://www.facebook.com/mitch.wagner>
>
>
>
>
-- 
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.       gabe at gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042           (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegold            Twitter: GabeG0

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