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View Full Version : Your Perceptions of peoples ability...



speedwell68
August 8th, 2009, 03:45 PM
A friend has come to visit me. He is also a Linux user, OpenSuse 11.1, although we both arrived at Linux from different paths. He is very knowledgeable about computers. But yesterday he was working through a problem, basically how to export mail from Kmail to Thunderbird. I watched him for a couple of hours rant, rave and swear at his PC, until I had enough. I did a quick Google search and two minutes later it was done. Whilst he is eminently qualified and experienced in Linux, he has no problem solving skills. We have spent the last few years communicating over the web and I had the impression he was some kind of Linux guru, but in practice he is not. It has just shattered my illusion of him.

sigurnjak
August 8th, 2009, 06:03 PM
I fix ms machines for some extra cash and i am still amazed with general users ignorance and lack of desire to learn something new . Frequently i will work on a pc belonging to a writer or a businessman or a teacher and it boggles my mind how little they know about what they are using .
They do not seem to realise that they are using some exceptionally advanced product with abilities that could not be imagines 20 years ago in hands of average joe .
Yet when i tell them to google their problem , it look like i have showed them holly grail and Alexandria library .
And you should see some faces when i suggest they take a basic PC course ! :confused:

Shibblet
August 8th, 2009, 06:11 PM
I'm no computer Guru.

But what I have found in my observations is that when you set out to accomplish a "specific" task, you really just need to know how to do it.

i.e. All engines pretty much work the same, air and gasoline intake, combustion, moves the cams, turns the wheels (quick breakdown). And this is all well and good in your car, but you buddys car has an air intake in a different area. Your girlfriends car has to use different gasoline. etc. etc.

That's a rough idea. But a prime example is when I first got Ubuntu NBR, All of the windows were filling the screen. I just KNEW there was a way to turn that off, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out where to look.

I dropped a message in the forums and, VOILA (not the big violin, the italian word for "holy crap") there it was in my System -> Preferences -> S0tartup Applications. Turn off "Maximux Window Manager"

So just knowing where to look can be a trying experience. Don't let it bust your bubble about your friend, he's human too. ;)

aesis05401
August 8th, 2009, 08:08 PM
To the OP: Problem solvers and question answerers are two different types of FOSS experts. Both are equally valuable to the community.

If you have been communicating with this individual for a length of time and formed a high opinion of his Linux knowledge, but found a lack in his problem solving skills then you are dealing with a question answerer. These people can often retain important minutiae related to past problems, but can become obsoleted fairly quickly without regular interaction with problem solvers.

There is a symbiotic relationship between question answerers and problem solvers... You may find that your best starting place when researching a problem is to talk to your question answerer to get some perspective and possible leads. When you find answers be sure to pass them back to your friend. In this manner your friend will be able to represent themselves and Linux in a more competent manner, and you will be building a relationship with someone that has a complimentary skill set.