• ssillyssadass@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Computers have been dumbed down and simplified for the masses. When I was a kid a computer did not cooperate until you raised your voice.

  • SS2k_2003@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    There should be a class where they force you to install arch Linux without the automated install script and force people to learn how an OS works, or even make them do a Gentoo installation. You only pass it if you get to a fully functioning PC with a web browser and desktop environment

    • raptir@lemmy.zip
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      11 months ago

      Why stop at Arch? I had to write my own kernel in college let’s make everyone do that.

      Yes, I’m posting this to point out the silliness of your idea.

  • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I can:

    • Accomplish damn near anything from a command line
    • Write machine code
    • Remember a fairly broad swath of special character altcodes without looking them up
    • Disassemble damn near any computer or other machine, and stand a good chance of putting it back together

    But also:

    • Use modern programming languages, including object oriented paradigms
    • Actually read what is on my screen and comprehend it, including error messages
    • Understand and operate any arbitrary interface without having to have it explained to me by rote

    Behold my mixture of skills, and tremble.

    • TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I figured they were talking about the Oregon Trail generation. It’s made up of the folks who were old enough and young enough to play the game in schools and spans across parts of X and millennials.

    • blitzen@lemmy.ca
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      11 months ago

      Probably. But if I’m being generous, we’re really only talking about younger X and older millennials.

      • tomenzgg@midwest.social
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        11 months ago

        This always surprises me as I’m younger millennial and my Gen X dad always feels more technologically behind than me.

        But it’s funny because I’m only so into computers because of him as he had things like Windows 3.1 and 95 and 98 in our home from a young age and he even went to school for C++ but he doesn’t really remember it (it got him an accounting gig) and his pursual of technology these days is pretty limited to pre-built stuff from Samsung and Sony than any real grasp of how it works. I struggle to get him to show even passing interest in something like Linux (like, I get liking Windows; you grew up with it: you’re more comfortable with it. But not even curiosity, even if you’ll never use it?).

        Expert on Excel and OneNote (because it’s his daily bread-and-butter) but probably would ask for my help on rotating a PDF.

        What OP describes sounds much more aligned to my millennial peers than the bulk of Gen. X I know.

  • Chloé 🥕@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    11 months ago

    in today’s edition of “why are the kids I raised so damn incompetent?”

    i long for a day where people understand that it’s not the ipad kid’s fault they were given a tablet at age 2

    • chatokun@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      11 months ago

      That’s… part of it, but part of it is just ease of use. In growing up, I had to figure out issues with my computer,and getting games etc working took some work to do. I build a gaming PC for my nephew(under 10, but games a lot mobile and with consoles) and he played a few games on it, but then my sister (a gamer herself) said he couldn’t really get used to keyboard over controller (at which point I reminded her she could just get him a PC controller or use one of the console ones that also work on PC).

      He just seems to prefer to use things that are already intuitive, and since my childhood things have gotten much better in that regard for consoles and mobile stuff. You can definitely do it on PC as well, but it often means more accessories, sometimes figuring out issues . I got another sister of mine a controller for pc and it took a bit of effort getting it properly synced for the game she wanted to play. It would show up properly in the OS, but then the game he issues, so we had to switch through modes and such, and sometimes even though one mode may work an update or something may break it.

      I like using controllers for some games, and WASD for others, but even though IT is my job and I’m good at fixing things, some games have weird issues with some controllers, especially if they have mode options. All that extra fixing and finding the right settings is just frustrating for some, and with easy to use alternatives they may not bother to learn. I had no choice, just SNES and pc while growing up.