It is definitely true that only 1% of the population has the clue that allows them to make computers do what they want. Unfortunately, they are generally lacking the clue that suggests that computers should do something useful.
If, at any time, you find yourself believing that keeping the machine running involves not running user jobs, this puts you in the 1%. Fortunately, there's lots of company.
People who program for fun often are completely unable to understand those who use computers to do other things than programming. Witness, for instance, the growth of emacs. A text editor that can do as many things as Microsoft Word, much more cleanly-- but is impossible to learn and/or keep track of if you have to have parts of your brain alloted to non-computing tasks.
Another example: the man pages. These make perfect sense to programmers, and drive non-programming-users insane. Why? Because in order to find out the answer to any given question in man pages, you have to have already figured out the answer and either a) have forgotten it and be trying to refresh your memory, or b) have guess what the answer and want to check that you are right and your guess will not rewrite the entire systems files.
The best way to get information out of a programmer is to rip his skull off and suck out his brain. The best way to get a programmer to assist a user is to threaten to give the user the programmer's home address.
The best way to get a programmer to do something is to either make it sound interesting, or to withhold something he wants until he agrees to do this. Coffee usually works. Network Access often works. Sex only works if you cut off the alt.sex feed on Usenet.
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damont
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Helpdesk vs. Programmers
Date: 2004-12-21 04:34 pm (UTC)If, at any time, you find yourself believing that keeping the machine running involves not running user jobs, this puts you in the 1%. Fortunately, there's lots of company.
People who program for fun often are completely unable to understand those who use computers to do other things than programming. Witness, for instance, the growth of emacs. A text editor that can do as many things as Microsoft Word, much more cleanly-- but is impossible to learn and/or keep track of if you have to have parts of your brain alloted to non-computing tasks.
Another example: the man pages. These make perfect sense to programmers, and drive non-programming-users insane. Why? Because in order to find out the answer to any given question in man pages, you have to have already figured out the answer and either a) have forgotten it and be trying to refresh your memory, or b) have guess what the answer and want to check that you are right and your guess will not rewrite the entire systems files.
The best way to get information out of a programmer is to rip his skull off and suck out his brain. The best way to get a programmer to assist a user is to threaten to give the user the programmer's home address.
The best way to get a programmer to do something is to either make it sound interesting, or to withhold something he wants until he agrees to do this. Coffee usually works. Network Access often works. Sex only works if you cut off the alt.sex feed on Usenet.