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I’ve had a few family relations approach technology this way. I think it’s like they are missing a “theory of mind” for how software works. We have developed th

I’ve had a few family relations approach technology this way. I think it’s like they are missing a “theory of mind” for how software works. We have developed this intuition by either using or creating software for a long time. Like often people are scared to click random buttons or explore menus. We have used software for a long time, so we know that any destructive act would be proceeded by an “are you sure?” dialog box. I think I would be in their shoes if I ever tried to change the oil on my car. I may be able to follow a procedure. But I would not deviate from it. It would not try to pop the covers off unrelated parts to peek into the alternator, for fear of electric shock. Anyways, my rambling point is ideally we people would make themselves more familiar with how to understand the technology they work with everyday. But we should have empathy for people who have not contorted their minds to understand the peculiar behavior of software.

jact 1y ago
Yes, this is extremely accurate. Many people are very afraid to explore or experiment with any software program out of fear of breaking things.
- xwolfi 1y ago
  Because when they break things they lose hours of work they cannot afford to lose. My parents had a small business and if my mom mis-clicked somewhere and deleted some important thing, she would enter a panicked rage as she'd lose half the day with some remote tech support. She would never touch a computer after work, because it just stressed her, she found them absolutely unbearable, also because the tech support was unbearably obnoxious.
  - jact 1y ago
    This is true — which is why simple version control should be de rigueur in any important application where it’s feasible. The move to put everything in /the cloud is irritating but probably in part driven by this consumer complaint. Not that the boomers will ever learn.
KronisLV 1y ago
> I think it’s like they are missing a “theory of mind” for how software works. This is a delightful way to put it! I have older relatives that can't really tell apart where a website ends and where their operating system begins, due to not really knowing about the client server model (even when it's explained to them) and I worry about the generation that will also just grow up with phone apps. That's why I actually liked the classes back in school where we had all sorts of office program tasks to do, though I wish some of the later stuff from university would also be more widespread. Probably not programming for everyone (unless something practical with like Python), but just a few lessons on how the Internet works.

jact 1y ago

Yes, this is extremely accurate. Many people are very afraid to explore or experiment with any software program out of fear of breaking things.

xwolfi 1y ago
Because when they break things they lose hours of work they cannot afford to lose. My parents had a small business and if my mom mis-clicked somewhere and deleted some important thing, she would enter a panicked rage as she'd lose half the day with some remote tech support. She would never touch a computer after work, because it just stressed her, she found them absolutely unbearable, also because the tech support was unbearably obnoxious.
- jact 1y ago
  This is true — which is why simple version control should be de rigueur in any important application where it’s feasible. The move to put everything in /the cloud is irritating but probably in part driven by this consumer complaint. Not that the boomers will ever learn.

KronisLV 1y ago

> I think it’s like they are missing a “theory of mind” for how software works. This is a delightful way to put it! I have older relatives that can't really tell apart where a website ends and where their operating system begins, due to not really knowing about the client server model (even when it's explained to them) and I worry about the generation that will also just grow up with phone apps. That's why I actually liked the classes back in school where we had all sorts of office program tasks to do, though I wish some of the later stuff from university would also be more widespread. Probably not programming for everyone (unless something practical with like Python), but just a few lessons on how the Internet works.