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Atheist · Apr 23, 2007, 07:59 AM

My significant other just came into my home office wondering why all the windows on his Macbook "are in little boxes all over the screen". I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I started to explain that he must have hit F9 without realizing it and that what he was experiencing was the Expose feature of OS X. About halfway through my brief explanation, his eyes glazed over and I realized he was completely uninterested in why it happened... he just wanted it fixed. I told him to hit Esc or F9 again and it would be restored to normal.

It got me thinking about how we use computers. As enthusiasts, we generally are enamored by all of the goodies (like Expose) that OS X provides but more and more I realize that many people really couldn't care less about all that stuff. My partner is not a dumb man. He's presently working on his MS in Educational Psychology. However when it comes to computers, he has no interest in doing anything but the basics. When I try to teach him what I perceive as time saving techniques (or something cool like Expose) I get the glazed over eyes and the look of total indifference.

Anyone else have similar experiences?

chabig · Apr 23, 2007, 08:04 AM

All the time...

TETENAL · Apr 23, 2007, 08:31 AM

In the past I was frustrated when I had this feeling "If you listened to me just 30 seconds, you would save hours of time later". Now I just don't care any more. It's not my problem what others do.

Mastrap · Apr 23, 2007, 08:38 AM

It would be really useful if my parents would get their act together and get themselves online in the first place. Really useful. But no, they talk about it for a while, then they forget about it. Then they agonize for ages whether to go with the $50 or the $45 plan. Then about which provider to trust. Then they do something else instead. Then they buy a PC laptop, against my and my brother's advice, because my dad has a buddy who has promised to help him set it up but doesn't know anything about Macs. Then they don't talk to that buddy. Then my dad buys himself a digital camera but because he's just bought a PC he doesn't know how to get the images on the laptop. It is infuriating.

Then they tell me that they would love to see the latest pictures from our new house. I tell them they're online.

Jawbone54 · Apr 23, 2007, 09:49 AM

Good story.

I hate when I try to teach someone something in OSX that I'm just absolutely certain that they will love, and they say something like, "Well, I don't want to learn anything new. I just want to know how to _______"

Tiresias · Apr 23, 2007, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by Atheist

My significant other just came into my home office wondering why all the windows on his Macbook "are in little boxes all over the screen". I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I started to explain that he must have hit F9 without realizing it and that what he was experiencing was the Expose feature of OS X. About halfway through my brief explanation, his eyes glazed over and I realized he was completely uninterested in why it happened... he just wanted it fixed. I told him to hit Esc or F9 again and it would be restored to normal.

It got me thinking about how we use computers. As enthusiasts, we generally are enamored by all of the goodies (like Expose) that OS X provides but more and more I realize that many people really couldn't care less about all that stuff. My partner is not a dumb man. He's presently working on his MS in Educational Psychology. However when it comes to computers, he has no interest in doing anything but the basics. When I try to teach him what I perceive as time saving techniques (or something cool like Expose) I get the glazed over eyes and the look of total indifference.

Anyone else have similar experiences?

I like the F9 key. Problem is, since I got my MacBook Pro, F9 gives me this->

Please, no explanations. Just tell me how to do what I want to do, which is make F9 reveal "all windows."

But seriously, what does the above mean, and how can I make F9 work again. I've already visited keyboard shortcuts in System Preferences.

Jawbone54 · Apr 23, 2007, 09:51 AM

Go to System Preferences, click on Keyboard and Mouse, then check the box that says "Use the F1-F12 keys to control software features."

However, this means that if you want to adjust volume or brightness, you have to click fn and F1 or F2 or whatever. I use Expose so much that I had to have it available by just clicking F9. You get used to having to use the Function key for volume and such. No worries.

Cipher13 · Apr 23, 2007, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by TETENAL

In the past I was frustrated when I had this feeling "If you listened to me just 30 seconds, you would save hours of time later". Now I just don't care any more. It's not my problem what others do.

Seriously, I couldn't say it better.

Most computer problems can be fixed in one or two steps, but people simply aren't interested in listening for the 30 seconds it takes to explain it. They'd rather you fix it than have it explained... then next time it happens, and they can't get on to you about it, they whine.

Teach a man to fish...

Tiresias · Apr 23, 2007, 09:53 AM

^ Nevermind.

Goldfinger · Apr 23, 2007, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by Cipher13

Seriously, I couldn't say it better.

Most computer problems can be fixed in one or two steps, but people simply aren't interested in listening for the 30 seconds it takes to explain it. They'd rather you fix it than have it explained... then next time it happens, and they can't get on to you about it, they whine.

Teach a man to fish...

Ugh tell me about it. My gf was working on a schoolproject and Word crashed (win word). I said just restart Word and it'll recover the file you were working on. She wouldn't believe me and started crying and whining (pretty important school project

) that she would start all over again. So I took the pc out of her hands, restarted word and voila the file was back, completely intact. It would've saved her and me a lot of stress and tears if she would've just listned.

Of course her incredible stubbornness didn't help.

Jawbone54 · Apr 23, 2007, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by Goldfinger

Ugh tell me about it. My gf was working on a schoolproject and Word crashed (win word). I said just restart Word and it'll recover the file you were working on. She wouldn't believe me and started crying and whining (pretty important school project

) that she would start all over again. So I took the pc out of her hands, restarted word and voila the file was back, completely intact. It would've saved her and me a lot of stress and tears if she would've just listned.

Of course her incredible stubbornness didn't help.

Goldfinger · Apr 23, 2007, 11:22 AM

Yep, that's exactly what was going on in my head:

Dakarʒ · Apr 23, 2007, 11:25 AM

She wouldn't believe me and started crying and whining...So I took the pc out of her hands

Sounds like the beginning to a porno.

brokenjago · Apr 23, 2007, 12:07 PM

haha. "And the funky music started playing so I took of my pants"

Dakarʒ · Apr 23, 2007, 12:12 PM

You mean the CHIKA-BOW

brokenjago · Apr 23, 2007, 12:49 PM

haha yes.

SSharon · Apr 23, 2007, 02:09 PM

I typically help my friends that use Macs. My PC using friends I don't care to help with their nonsense about getting pics from a camera to a computer. Either RTFM or get a Mac.

kmkkid · Apr 23, 2007, 02:19 PM

I've gone through the same debates with my bf, but with windows. he gets ROYALLY pissed at me when I close msn, only to have it stay open in the tray. He insists I just minimize it, because he thinks that when I close MSN the app actually exits and he keeps clicking the icon on the desktop. Thank god he doesn't use OS X or he'd have a **** fit everytime I closed off an app or hid it

And he just won't listen to reason as to why I feel it's better, he just wants it the way he wants it, and doesn't care to learn anymore about it.

Rumor · Apr 23, 2007, 02:29 PM

Had a friend call me a couple of weeks ago. He uses an older system (Windows ME, mistake 1) for storing his recordings from his music.

Here's how the call goes.

"Hey, there's something wrong with my computer."

"What was the last thing you did?"

"I downloaded Firefox and deleted Internet Explorer. Now the computer doesn't boot up."

".....dude."

Oisín · Apr 23, 2007, 02:34 PM

How’d he even manage to deleted IE?!?

Rumor · Apr 23, 2007, 02:43 PM

It can be done in ME somehow. I had another person do it a couple of years ago. I had to install 2000 Pro, I couldn't reinstall ME in good conscience.

hayesk · Apr 25, 2007, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by toothpick_charlie

I like the F9 key. Problem is, since I got my MacBook Pro, F9 gives me this->
But seriously, what does the above mean, and how can I make F9 work again. I've already visited keyboard shortcuts in System Preferences.

That's the symbol for the keyboard backlight. I think by default it is set to F8, not F9 - maybe you accidentally changed it.

hayesk · Apr 25, 2007, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by Atheist

It got me thinking about how we use computers. As enthusiasts, we generally are enamored by all of the goodies (like Expose) that OS X provides but more and more I realize that many people really couldn't care less about all that stuff.
...
Anyone else have similar experiences?

Yes, most people who just see computers as a necessary tool, only want to learn how to use it once. They don't care about improving they way they use the computer at all, and they don't want to know why the things work the way they do.

Imagine if I wrote here 6 paragraphs about organizing your kitchen cupboards. I'll bet most wouldn't get past the first paragraph. But why not? It'll make them more productive and save time and energy. But when I try to explain cupboard organization, to paraphrase Jawbone54, they say something like, "Well, I don't want to learn anything new. I just want to get a glass of juice"

The point is if you're not interested in computers, then you probably aren't interested in making them work better.

L'enfanTerrible · Apr 26, 2007, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

Go to System Preferences, click on Keyboard and Mouse, then check the box that says "Use the F1-F12 keys to control software features."

However, this means that if you want to adjust volume or brightness, you have to click fn and F1 or F2 or whatever. I use Expose so much that I had to have it available by just clicking F9. You get used to having to use the Function key for volume and such. No worries.

On the laptops, I find the activation corners for Expose and Dashboard much quicker.

osiris · Apr 26, 2007, 05:19 PM

I hate Expose more than anything (in terms of computing), but the description of 'little boxes all over the screen' brings a tear of joy to my eye.

But what's really really bad IMO are inept users who really have no business using a computer in the first place - they should have a restraining order or something. You move an icon a single inch over, and these people are lost because now they can't find their frickin AOL.

I recently discovered that my entire graphics department of 100+ slaves had Firefox running from the still mounted installer image.... Jesus H Christ in a chicken basket... are these people idiots?!? It clearly says in the window "drag into your goddamn Applications Folder" So it wasn't just one user, or two - but the ENTIRE frickin department....

Anyway, all this can be funny, after the fact. I need a GD drink.

andreas_g4 · Apr 26, 2007, 05:28 PM

When it comes to using computers, I have experienced that even the most smart people can act like someone who can't breathe for himself.

IceEnclosure · Apr 26, 2007, 06:25 PM

I've got two new mac users who keep "losing" certain applications. Yea, they've been running it from the mounted image. I even made a video with SnapzPro showing how to drag the application from the disk image to the applications folder, and yet, they're still retarded.

Originally Posted by Mastrap

It would be really useful if my parents would get their act together and get themselves online in the first place. Really useful. But no, they talk about it for a while, then they forget about it. Then they agonize for ages whether to go with the $50 or the $45 plan. Then about which provider to trust. Then they do something else instead. Then they buy a PC laptop, against my and my brother's advice, because my dad has a buddy who has promised to help him set it up but doesn't know anything about Macs. Then they don't talk to that buddy. Then my dad buys himself a digital camera but because he's just bought a PC he doesn't know how to get the images on the laptop. It is infuriating.

Then they tell me that they would love to see the latest pictures from our new house. I tell them they're online.

UGHH, that hurts my head. I feel ya.