I love it when people tell me they don't want to learn to use a computer because they don't need to. Then they come to me and ask me to solve their inability to read instructions... Sometimes I get mad at them... If they want to use computers they better learn to work with them. Or pay for the maintenance. It seems they don't wish to do either.

I can relate. Creating a text document, registering for and installing Spotify, ordering something from Amazon - those are tasks that target a very general audience. Yet there's the reluctancy in some people to deal with any of it since it's computer stuff. On the other hand you're generally expected to be able to operate a car, or a washing machine. Just imagine that you'd tell anyone that, "well, sorry, household chores aren't within my area of expertise" - that probably won't get your clothes clean.

Yet, somehow, all those persons have no problem at all using facebook, but ordering something from some online shop, do a google search to solve some problem, or even read the Help menu on some software is out of the question for them... It seems they have their priorities all mixed up.

It's more of a case of people not wanting to find out how things work. So many people will drive a car, use a washing machine or vacuum cleaner, or even use a phone with no idea how it works, and no intention of ever learning. If it breaks they go to the 'repair guy' that will fix their problems. Or they will scrap the old item and buy a shiny new one.

One part of this comes from the fact that some things are really difficult or impossible to repair these days. Cars come with engine computers that you need special tools to access, computers and modern electronics come so integrated that you can't easily swap out components yourself.

The other part is that people treat computers as one entity, not a combination of entities. So the whole device is one item, and if something doesn't work, it's all broken.

The third problem is that we let them.

To drive a car, people have to learn a shit ton of things, not just about the law, but about the machine itself. And they do, because they have no other choice - and so for most it doesn't even register things could be different.

Look at professional software like Photoshop or AutoCAD - again, everyone knows it's "complicated", and so people either sign up for training courses, or sit down and learn it themselves. Somehow, the software tool being complex isn't a problem. But for most software, we've created an expectation that people should be able to use it from the get-go. I submit that this is wrong. People should be expected to read the manual, like in the old days, and the software should politely force them to.

Do you have to read many pages of dense legalise in order wash clothes or drive a car, like you do with installing Spotify? Users are trained to just click "Next" until the computer boxes have gone away.

There are schools and licences for driving a car. There is no EULA for washing clothes.

If we want to train users to not click on "I Agree" to get rid of the legalese then there should be no legalese for installing Spotify or buying from Amazon. I can buy in a shop without needing to sign a 10 page document, so why not the same with Amazon?

We, in tech, have trained users to click on the green buttons to make the computer boxes go away.

Regarding the fine print in ecommerce: As a seller of goods in our own store we are actually required to include boilerplate terms and conditions. We don't like it, our customers don't read it and if they do they may not understand. And yet it's quite dangerous to drift away from or simplify the ever growing legalise language since we risk legal and financial consequences from business and so-called customer interest groups that found a way to monetize the search for shops that don't follow the boilerplate terms close enough or miss certain parts.

A nitpick - you have to undergo training to drive a car, and yes, you have to read a lot of legalese (though most drivers probably didn't, as evidenced by how they drive). And yes, you have to learn to wash clothes, though you probably don't remember if your parents taught you this as a child. I do remember, because I haven't been taught it.

I think a lot of people tell their SO just exactly that.

I'm split on this.

RE education, I think this attitude is one of the bigger sources of the problems we have. Nobody expects to get into a car first time in their lives, go through a 2-minute tutorial and drive on the public road. Nobody expects to grok electric saws or soldering irons in 30 seconds. Those are all tools, and tools require some training, or at least reading the manual. Everybody knows that and thus nobody complains.

OTOH, we've created a silly situation with computing where people are expecting to be able to use stuff immediately. They should not. This thing is complicated, and you have to engage your brain. Dumbing software down to create illusion of immediate competency only makes our software worse, and it makes general population stupider.

As for the second point, I agree with building better software and throwing the book at CNET and Lenovo, and any other malware bundler. Seriously, this kind of behaviour should not be allowed in a civilized society.

> Nobody expects to get into a car first time in their lives, go through a 2-minute tutorial and drive on the public road.

This is how people learn to drive in many countries (e.g. Ireland). Though you usually start in a quiet car park/road or similar.

I always wondered about "drivers ed" classes I saw on US TV shows when I was younger, since they don't exist where I gre up.

> This is how people learn to drive in many countries (e.g. Ireland). Though you usually start in a quiet car park/road or similar.

Yes, but that's the part of the training. What I mean is that nobody will let you drive in real traffic the first time you enter the car in your life.

It took centuries or more for (language) literacy to become widespread. I think we should give it more time before coming to such conclusions.

Imagine a society in which, many centuries ago, the literates decided on something similar: regular people can't be taught how to read or write, they don't need to and they won't learn.

You're absolutely right. Plenty of non-tech scummy practices have been banned / curtailed under consumer protection laws. HTTPS circumventing adware is unjustifiable from a consumer protection stance.